Broken Together
by Patrykowski der Jaeger
Summary: Xander and Nick are too very dramatic rangers, that just happen to fall in love with each other. Did you really think it was going to be that easy? It's amazing how much destruction 2 innocent blondes can cause. Slash.
1. If it Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It

**Let's get these 2 things straight: 1.) I do not own Power Rangers Mystic Force or any of the characters. 2.) This is SLASH. If you don't know what that means let me explain it quit bluntly, guys like each other. So, if that offends you, GO AWAY. Anyway, sorry about the rant, otherwise, enjoy. **

_**Broken Together**_

_Chapter 1if it Ain't Broke, Don't fix it_

"You can't fix everything, Xander," Nick said lightly.

"There's no point in jumping to conclude things, you have to just stop and think about things."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

"What _are_ you talking about, Nick?" Xander asked a bit irritated.

"I'm talking about how you think compromising can fix everything. Sometimes things don't need to be fixed."

"So it's better to just run away from it?" Xander asked hastily, disregarding the fact he shouldn't have touched that topic.

"Watch it."

"No, _Nick_, I won't. Why can't you just tell me why you're always running and moving? There has to be a reason."

"There _is_ no reason!" Nick half shouted, his eyes averting to an inanimate object.

He and Xander had to close the shop as the other three needed to head off to Udonna's for training. Still, Nick wished he could have been stuck with Vida, maybe even Chip instead of Xander. Nick had always been one to misjudge people by their deeds…he figured if they were nice to him, or actually wanted to be his friend, they wanted something more. That something more could range anywhere from money to a relationship…what it was now, Nick couldn't tell.

"Can't you even tell a good lie?" Xander demanded.

"I'm not lying."

"And you're oh so good at hiding it," he chided.

"Alright, fine, you wanna know? You wanna know all about your "leader" and his screwed up past?"

"That would be the point, yes."

Nick glared at the taller male for a few moments before sighing. Did he really need to tell Xander the truth? Was it really necessary for him to even know? What would Xander say or do?

"It started when I was younger…about 9 maybe. My parents were always busy, all the time, I barely ever saw them, but they made sure I was with family. For a while I was with close relatives…but then…when I turned 14, I messed up big time," Nick explained.

Xander looked at him incredulously, "You're not going to stop there are you? It was just getting interesting. You can really tell a good story, ever thought of being an author?"

Nick shot the idea down mid-flight, "No."

The look on the green rangers faced went from amusement to confusion, but Nick carried on with the story.

"I was good friends with this kid named Brice, and we were really cool, I mean, we got along great. But…I've always…looked too deep into things, and I don't ever have them figured the right way. They always seem to be the exact opposite or a mile short of what I was thinking."

"You liked him didn't you?" Xander filled in.

His tone wasn't disgusted or disbelieving, but more of curiosity or self-experience. What was he getting at?

Nick stared off for a while before looking at Xander and nodding.

"Well…" Xander began, starting to pace back and forth as the sunlight completely vanished from visibility, "I don't see much you can do to change that. You think by not making friends you won't make mistakes?"

"That's not the idea, no," Nick replied.

"So you think that if you distance yourself you'll never like anyone—guys particularly."

Absently, Nick nodded.

"And you know your orientation?"

"Not…really…I mean…yes…but no."

"No?"

"I don't know."

"It's frustrating, I know," Xander sighed.

"How would you know Mr. Charm?"

"It's obvious by the look on your face. You don't seem like a quitter, but you don't seem like someone that would stick around and do something after you knew it was pointless."

"I guess I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should."

Nick was silent, but Xander kept on.

"So, what your saying is, you don't know if you're straight or—"

"Don't!" Nick shouted, then quieted, "Don't…say it…"

"Wha?"

"Don't say the word…I've heard it enough in the past three years."

"Well…if that's your orientation, what else can you call it that is any or as nice?"

"There _is_ no _nice_ way to put it, Xander. It's a horrible thing, I hate it, I hate those kind of people…it's…_disgusting_.

And that was self-loathing…that was how Nick had completely torn himself apart inside. His orientation or his preferences disgusted him. His lifestyle disgusted him, and anyone that reminded him of it disgusted him. Why?

**Okay…so this could be one shot, this was just a couple that played with my mind until I wrote it after I saw Mystic Force. So, if you'd like me to continue, let me know with a review.**


	2. Wait and See When the Smoke Clears

**Okay, so everyone knows I don't own Mystic Force or anything related to it, so if I have to keep reminding you, you might be just a _liiiittle _too slow to read this. So yeah, here's chapter 2…on the same day as chapter 1.**

_**Broken Together**_

_Chapter 2Wait and See When the Smoke Clears_

"So…you're a hypocrite?" Xander asked somewhat harshly.

"I am _not _a hypocrite. I was young, I was confused, and I didn't—"

"Know what you were doing, yeah, yeah, I've heard that one a million different times. Look man, you're just gonna have to face it head on."

"There's nothing to face."

"Oh really? So if I say the word g—"

"STOP!"

"Oh…so…I can't say the word without bunching your boxers, but you say there's nothing to face?"

It was obvious Nick's last comments about his homophobia had struck a nerve with Xander. Maybe it was just that Xander didn't like hypocrites? Or maybe it was because he didn't like people feeling sorry for themselves? Or maybe he was gay?

"Why do you care so much?" Nick asked, his tone faltering.

"Why not? You're a teammate. We need to be able to trust each other, and quite frankly Nick, I don't trust you right now."

The look on Nick's face was something of being flabbergasted, or complete and utter hurt, either one, Xander didn't care.

"How can you not trust me? I saved your ass from Koragg; doesn't that give me _some_ kind of credit?"

"See…maybe that's your problem Nick. When you do something for someone, you don't do it with the idea that they're going to pay you back, you do it for them because you want to and it's out of common decency."

"I don't want to be repaid. I want to be trusted! I want to belong somewhere. Do you have _any _idea how it feels to not know where your permanent home was? How long you were gonna be somewhere?"

"Not the slightest clue," Xander said simply, "But then again, I'm not the one looking for sympathy here Nick, you are. You tell me you want to be trusted, and then when I give you the chance to be trusted, you blow it up. I don't understand you."

"Why would you want to understand me?" the red ranger asked stupidly.

"Because you interest me."

Now…it could have just been Nick's imagination or over-thinking process, but it seemed like Xander was…flirting with him.

"Ha-ha, very funny Xander, but I'm not laughing. You seem to be thoroughly enjoying yourself!" Nick retorted.

"I'm somewhat enjoying myself, but I'm mainly piqued by your self-loathing. Was that instilled in you when you were living with family?" Xander asked, his tone now not so smug, but concerned.

Nick was caught of guard by Xander's quick thinking, "Um…uh…wait, what?"

Xander couldn't help but laugh, "Oy, man, you're making this harder than it has to be. Why do you hate yourself, what you are, so much?"

"I don't…hate myself," Nick said, his voice again faltering.

"But you hate everything gay."

Nick's eyes shot a lethal glare at Xander. He said the word, he did it on purpose, but it didn't sting when he said it.

Nick's voice got caught in his throat before he finally managed to say "I…I don't…I'm not" without pausing, he cleared his throat and finished, "gay."

He finally said the word after 3 long years of verbal and physical abuse. It was just too much to put up with when you had to live up to your parents standards. Too much to put up with when you were supposed to succeed. Too much to put up with when everyone expected you to land the hottest girl possible. Too much to put up with when you're only 14 years old.

"You just like guys?" Xander asked, though his sarcasm was somewhat masked, the simplicity of the question should have struck Nick as odd.

"Yeah."

"Oh, well that explains everything!" Xander exclaimed, "You're just horny!"

That caught Nick off guard. In fact, Nick was quite the opposite, never a very sexual person, and for years he thought something was wrong with him, aside from the fact that he was in question of sexuality.

"No, it's not that."

"Nick, I'm being sarcastic. What you are is in denial. You're gay, face it."

"I am NOT!" he growled, starting toward Xander.

The Minotaur ranger merely stayed in his position; resting his head against a wall while his body was slightly stretched across a ledge.

"Listen to yourself Nick. I mean, you can't expect to like only guys and be straight, or anything other than gay."

"Can you stop with the word? And how do you know I only like guys?"

"Because this entire time you've never once mention being attracted to girls as well, and that's always a guy-in-denial's main excuse. Why do you think being gay is so wrong?"

"It just is. Why are you so for it."

"I'm up front about myself. I don't wear it on my sleeve, but if someone openly asks me, I'll tell them the truth. Yes, I _am_ gay. Now, do you hate _me_?"

Nick staggered on his way toward Xander on nothing in particular. Xander had just confirmed he was in fact gay. Did that mean Nick could make an outreach for a relationship? Could he possibly be interested in Xander? What kind of question was that? Of course he was!

"W-wait, what?"

"Oh c'mon, you heard me loud and clear. I-am-gay. You make it seem like it's the apocalypse or something."

"But I thought…you…I…" Nick searched his vocabulary but kept drawing blanks. There was no way to describe how he felt at that moment.

"So tell me, why is it so wrong? Xander asked calmly.

"I…um…I'm sorry…" Nick said in a rush, turning away.

"Sorry that you made an ass of yourself or sorry that you can't answer?"

"Both, okay? You got me, I'm gay. Okay? Is that what you wanted to hear? Did you want this big confession where I start crying because it's not happening," Nick shot back, his face already hinting too much emotion.

The water works were definitely about to begin.

"No, Nick, I think that's what you've wanted for a very long time," Xander said soothingly, as he was at the Phoenix ranger's side in no time.

Nick looked up slightly, his watery eyes not wanting to meet the taller ranger's eyes, but at the same time, dying to just hug someone. Xander happened to be that someone.

**Okay, so, even though this is the second chapter on the same day of publication, this idea is bombarding me and I knew I couldn't leave it at what it was. So, that was chapter 2…I really could continue, and I probably will, no matter how many people dis/like it. **

**Oh…and yes, Nick and Xander _are _totally HOTT! Haha. Later days.**


	3. I Get Tired & I Get Weak

**Again with the "I do not owns" that people like to call disclaimers…I like to call them pains in the ass…anyway, I don't own Mystic force, but here's chapter 3 as everyone requested…I never expected this story to blow up like this, but thank you anyways. :**

_Chapter 3I Get Tired & I Get Weak_

It wasn't like it was supposed to turn out this way. It's not like Xander wanted to make him cry. But to Nick, it's all he wanted…he guessed. He could say he didn't want to confess to someone that he hated himself. He could say that he was straight, that he didn't know what to think of his confusion. He could say that all he said before was a lie…but he could not lie…at least not proficiently.

The sobs were non-existent, the tears just came. They weren't huge, swelled up tears, and they weren't tears that could revive someone that had died. They were just Nick's tears of anguish. And that made Xander feel horrible.

All too soon, Nick recalled what he was doing. Hugging another male, in the middle of the store he worked in, his face teary. He had to stop, had to think of something quick to regain his composure.

He pulled back and whipped his face, "Sorry…" he mumbled.

"It's okay to cry Nick, stop trying to be so macho," Xander lectured.

"I'm not trying to be macho, I'm whipping my face."

"Because crying is a flaw right?" Xander asked sarcastically.

"I'm not too concerned about flaws. If I were so worried about that I would have done something about this," he said self-conscientiously as he pointed to his nose.

"Oh boo, you'll get over it. Our imperfections are what make us seem perfect to others," Xander stated with a philosophical air.

Nick looked at him for a few moments. What was Xander trying to do?

"What are you doing?" Nick asked bluntly.

"Um…I don't know, talking to you?" Xander guessed.

"No, I mean, why did you…" he paused, time to call it what it was "Why did you hold me…a few minutes ago?" Nick asked carefully.

Xander looked perplexed, "Um…Nick, you do know that you hugged me, right?" Xander questioned.

Silent for a moment, Nick finally responded, "Yeah…I know…but why did you let me? How come you didn't push me away?"

"Well, because you were a friend in need, why would I have pushed you? What kind of friend does that?"

"I Wouldn't really know, haven't had enough to tell…"

The two were silent for a while, looking around the shop mostly before meeting glances.

"So…" Xander said.

"What?"

"Are you feeling better?" Xander asked.

"Not really."

"Why?"

"Well, why was I supposed to feel better?"

"Don't you feel like you got something off your chest?"

He thought a moment, then he replied, "I guess."

"Mmmhmm…" Xander said as though observing.

"What?'

"Well…we've tackled the orientation problem, I think we should move on to the self-loathing thing."

Nick groaned, "Do you ever just give up?"

"Not on people I care about, no," Xander said.

Their eyes met intensely and Xander added quickly, "So we might as well get started.

Nick leaned back in a chair, though his body looked relaxed, his muscles were tensed, awaiting the problem.

"Right," Nick said casually.

"Okay…so explain in depth why it is you're homophobic."

"Well…um…I've always just been that way…and when things started to happen, I got scared. I didn't want to be like that, it was always looked down upon. I'd never known much about how my family reacted to…homosexuality…but I found out that day."

"And what happened for them to find out?" Xander interrogated.

"Brice told his parents…"

"Told his parents what?"

"That…that I kissed him…"

"And you're ashamed of that?"

"Hell yes. I always think back to that day and if I'd been able to control my perverted mind I wouldn't be here right now."

"You wouldn't be a ranger."

Nick was quiet. He never thought of it that way.

"Look Nick. Sometimes, bad things happen, and they appear to be the worse things ever. But then, a while later, not always three years, but a while later, something good comes of it, it's in the balance of nature. It's really not that hard of a concept," Xander explained.

"Again with the philosophy?" groaned the red ranger.

"Okay, okay. But honestly, you can't expect to beat yourself up forever. It was a childhood error that resulted in greater things. I was lucky enough to have a great group of friends and a wonderful family to fall back on when I realized it, but now you've got us. No one will care."

"How would you know? They know you, you're their friend."

"And so are you."

"But you don't trust me."

"No, I didn't, that doesn't mean you can't be my friend. Do you really think I'd trust Chip with a scalpel?" Xander asked wryly.

Nick let out a sharp laugh.

"Exactly. I would talk to you, I'll laugh with you, there's just certain things you have to have a degree of trust for, and then, you didn't have it."

"So I do now?" Nick asked curiously.

"Depends on if you can come to terms with yourself."

For two whole minutes, Nick sat in silence as he thought. The only sounds that surrounded them were the few cars that whizzed by on the chilly Thursday night.

"Okay…I get it now…" Nick said quietly.

"And?" Xander anxiously asked.

"I figure I don't really have to be something I don't want to be as long as I don't have to answer to anyone, and I don't. My cousins aren't gonna get involved in this, and if they do, I'll be old enough to be on my own soon."

"So what are you saying."

Nick took a deep breath, "I'm gay."

The sentence seemed to echo through the empty store, but its sound didn't have the effect on Nick that he thought it would. It simply verified what he'd been denying for years.

"And how do you feel now?"

"Like an idiot," Nick laughed.

"But a trusted idiot," Xander said as he stood to stand near Nick by the desk.

"You trust me now?" Nick asked, his eyes flashing with hope.

"Enough to do this," Xander replied with a small, subtle kiss.

**Woot woot, go me, third chapter in less than 2 full days. I don't know what I can do with this now, I mean, I'm sure I could continue, see what I can come up with, but I'll need to see this weekend's episode. Stay tuned, promise the next chap will be up by Sunday. Leave me a nice review :----later days **


	4. A Stranger to The Concept of Reciprocity

**Okay, so, even though I haven't seen "Code Breakers" yet and thought it was on today, I promised you a chapter so I'm delivering. Sorry if this chapter seems a little…out of place.**

_Chapter 4: A Stranger to the Concept of Reciprocity_

Shocking would be an understatement. The kiss Nick received from his green partner was something even Xander's endless vocabulary would have been able to describe. It wasn't like it was something special or intense; it was just that it was so…appropriately done and so fulfilling. It could have been that Nick finally was trusted by Xander not only on the friend or team member levels, but on the relationship level too. But this was all too soon…wasn't it?

When they parted after three short seconds, there was a tense air between the two.

"That was…new…" Xander commented.

Nick nodded slowly, "What does that…mean…exactly?"

Xander looked confused at first, then responded, "I'm not…sure really. I guess whatever we want it to mean…I think."

Nick looked at him. He seemed…well, flustered, and that was a new look for Xander. Something Nick had never seen, though he'd only known him for less than a day.

"Are you embarrassed?" Nick asked, his amusement obvious.

Xander hesitated, "Well, yes…a little. I guess that was rather brash of me. I totally came on to you without even knowing your interests…sorry," Xander apologized.

"No harm done," Nick dismissed.

Another silence settled over the two. It was becoming quite hard for them to look around the room without seeing each other. Finally, Nick said; "You know…Xander…I uh, I _do _um…Gah…how do I say this? Um…I do like you…I'm just not good at saying how I feel."

Xander looked at the blushing male. No more than 5'9", Nick was barely audible or visible in the shadow of the room he was in. They had yet to turn on the main lights, as they'd been talking when the sun set. Still, the darkness gave them both a little more confidence, as they didn't have to stare at the object of each others fixations while talking.

"Oh…" Xander started, "Well, that helps actually, at least now I don't feel _completely_ stupid."

"Why would you feel stupid? You've done more than enough for me, Xander, and I don't really know how I can repay you, but I know I'll try. I mean…I'm not really good at a lot of things, except maybe pissing Koragg off, but other than that, I'm not much of a captain. I can try something…maybe I can teach you to ride a bike or something."

Xander couldn't help but grin devilishly at Nick's babbling. It wasn't really like him to speak more than necessary, but it was obvious he was nervous. Having wandered off to different sides of the shop after the kiss, the two had yet to be close enough to make out each other's faces. Xander could still almost visualize Nick's eyes, darting around or either glued to the ground. It was amazing how close they'd become after less than a day, but it seemed like forever.

"That would be interesting," Xander laughed.

"Hey, it's a lot harder than it looks," Nick replied lightly.

"I bet…but that doesn't mean it's not funny."

And yet another silence. Finally, fed up with the dark, Nick moved for the light switch, but didn't know Xander had already made a move for it. In the darkness they couldn't see each other, and after a quick stumble over a chair, the two mystic rangers were entangled within each other.

"Uh…Xander…" Nick said after a few seconds of quiet.

"Yeah," he breathed.

"You're knee…is between my legs…" Nick replied cautiously.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Xander responded, "That's not my knee."

"What?" Nick asked, a hint of fear in his voice.

"I'm just kidding," laughed Xander.

"Oh…" Nick breathed a sigh of relief.

"So…are you gonna move that knee?" Nick asked.

At least a minute had passed since they'd toppled onto one another, and the lights were still off. It was a very…risqué scene, and if one of the others were to walk in at that point, they would surely know what was going on.

"Um…actually, I'm quite comfortable," Xander said coyly.

It was always amusing to him to see how people reacted. He doubted Nick would stay calm.

"Um…okay…" Nick said oddly.

That was not the reaction Xander was expecting. He was expecting Nick to panic, or maybe even push him off. But…he just _agreed_.

"So…what do you think about the whole "I believe in magic" thing?" Nick asked.

"It's really quite interesting actually…I never really gave much thought towards the idea, I'm more of a logical person in case you can't tell, but now I have a wider respect for it."

Nick nodded from under Xander. Their position was getting a little less awkward and a little more…_natural_.

"And you, Mr. 'I guess I believe too?'"

"It's awesome…but I mean…c'mon, you have to admit, at first, you didn't believe, you just wanted to talk to them."

"Well…someone had to try and reason first," Xander explained, "And besides, I'm not that great of a fighter."

"None of us were against those things," Nick commented.

Yet another silence fell, but unlike the other two, this one was a more comfortable silence. It seemed to be several hours before either of them spoke, but both knew in reality it was only several minutes.

"What time is it?" Nick wondered aloud.

He should probably have been getting back to his sister's. She would be worried as she didn't even know if had made it town yet, let alone if he was alive or not. She never did like the idea of her brother riding a deathly crotch rocket.

"Um…about half past 8, we should be able to go at 9," Xander revealed.

"Mind if I use your phone to call my sister, she doesn't even know if I'm in town yet," Nick said.

"Oh, so you have a sister? If she's anything like you, I might just have to check her out," Xander joked.

Nick pushed Xander lightly as he reached for the green ranger's cell phone.

"Whoa buddy! That's no cell phone!" Xander yelled as he recoiled.

Instantly, Nick's cheeks flushed as he quickly pulled his hand back, "You're joking right?"

"Not that time I wasn't…" Xander said slowly as he pulled out his cell phone.

"Oh wow…um…sorry," Nick said as he shyly scooted form under Xander to call his sister.

After ten rings he hung up, and returned the phone to its owner.

"Well…since she's not home, wanna grab a bite to eat after work?" Xander asked.

Nick thought for several moments, "Um…I really don't have any extra money and…"

"No problem, I'll pay," the other boy said with a charming smile.

"Uh…sure," Nick responded.

His day hadn't gone as he'd expected in Briarwood, and if it hadn't been for his meeting Xander, he probably would've left. After getting tricked into a magical wand, chosen as a power ranger, getting jumped by goblin-like creatures, and fighting a seriously evil knight, Nick was happy he was getting to something normal…until the whole conversation with Xander that forced him to face his unnerving past. Still, the best thing that happened that day was ending up with Xander, in whatever situation they'd created. And he hoped to whatever God that rest above that there would be so many more days like this one.

**Okay, so like I said, this chapter seems a little out of place. Either way, I promised and I delivered. The one tomorrow or Tuesday will be much better. Later days. **


	5. Subserviently Hostile

**I don't own Disney and I don't own Power Rangers…yet :**

_Chapter 5: Subserviently Hostile_

"You know…you really don't have to take me dinner," Nick said shyly.

"I know I don't _have _to, but I bet you're hungry and I know I am," Xander replied.

Just as he was about to deny his hunger, Nick's stomach rumbled in dismay.

"Okay…so maybe I am a little hungry," Nick admitted.

With a laugh, Xander continued to walk down the darkened sidewalk. The city was empty around this time of night, the woods usually scared people off. There were a few stragglers finishing up their evening shopping or their nightly jog, but mainly it was the two males and the streetlights.

"So what _are_ you in the mood for, eh?" Xander questioned politely.

"Uh…whatever really," Nick shrugged.

"Well…I don't think there're any restaurants with that on the menu…maybe if you were a bit more specific?"

Nick grinned, "I don't wanna be a pain. I'm not a picky eater, just whatever you want."

"Whatever you want is what I want. I'm paying, the least you could do is choose," accused Xander.

Nick swayed as he walked, hinting to his light mood and his sudden carelessness about how the two looked. To any bystander (which there weren't many anyway) would have seen two friends strolling at night, which was only weird on the level that no one liked to be out after dark for fear of something coming from the woods.

"Okay, okay, how about we just go get a burger?"

"I'm treating you to dinner and all you want is a burger?" Xander asked incredulously.

"Well…okay…how bout something more…breakfast-y?"

"Perfect!" Xander enthused.

A few blocks down the road was an upbeat diner that most travelers stopped at to eat and run. Unlike many diners around the world, this one was a bit more…expensive because it was the only one of its kind. To the people of Briarwood…it was like a rich Denny's.

"This place?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, why? Did you change your mind?"

"Well…no…it's just that…it looks expensive," Nick stated.

"Don't worry about it," Xander replied with a smile.

After a moment of consideration, Nick obliged and opened the diner door.

Once inside, the two males were blown back by the smell of waffles or pancakes, frying bacon, and wonderful smelling eggs.

"That smells great," Nick said, getting ahead of himself.

A young brunette girl stepped in his way with a polite smile, "Good evening sir. Welcome to Briar Diner where we serve authentic breakfast foods, will you two be together?" She said in one big sentence.

Nick blinked a few times, "Yes Katie, we will," Xander said from behind the put-off red ranger.

"Okay Xander, right this way," she smiled.

Nick furrowed his eyebrows "Who's that?" he mouthed in curiosity.

"I'll explain later," Xander said in his accent.

Following the girl, the two wound up at a booth near the far end of the room, away from the crowds of people that were talking and munching, obviously not from around here.

"Can I get you guys anything to drink?" Katie asked.

"Uh…orange juice for me," Nick said quietly.

"And I'll have a coffee," Xander added.

Nick gave him a look, "Coffee at 9:30?"

"He's a strange one," Katie said with another genuine smile as she trotted off to the back to fetch their drinks.

"So does she go to our school?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, she was in a few of my classes last semester, we know each other but we don't ever make a huge effort to see each other. I come up here sometimes with Vida just to grab some coffee."

"Is it that good?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, it's killer," Xander laughed.

Katie returned with the cup of coffee and Nick's glass of orange juice, "I'm sorry, I forgot to ask if you wanted pulp or not so I just left it out, most people don't like it, is that okay?"

"Oh yeah, that's fine," Nick replied…still a little off-handedly.

"Does she make you nervous?" Xander asked in amusement.

"Hardly."

"Funny," Xander laughed, "Seems to me she makes you a little shifty."

"Well…she's one of the first people I've met here in Briarwood that's been nice to me, other than you guys and Toby."

"What about 'Leelee'" Xander mocked with air quotes.

"Oh don't even go there…that girl was a major pain," Nick sighed.

That blond girl had no idea what she wanted and seemed to only appear just to annoy him.

After a five minutes or so, and scouring over the menu for the best choice, Katie returned to take orders. Being hesitant at first, Nick chose the cheapest meal on the menu, but Xander quickly substituted it for something more filling. Katie waltzed off and assured them she'd return with their food shortly.

"So yeah, back to this whole…family thing. What's up with that?" Xander asked.

Nick almost choked on his orange juice. It wasn't that he was shocked…it was just that mentioning his family brought up things he'd rather not discuss at that point. He trust Xander, but it had nothing to do with trust; it had to do with preparedness.

"Um…well…we just don't really see eye to eye. My sister and my grandparents are the only ones that haven't disowned me completely and my parents are overseas. I have no idea if they know or not…my guess is not."

"But you've got family nonetheless?" Xander assured.

"Yeah…whether or not it's good family has yet to be determined. I haven't talked to my sister since the arrangements, and even then I only got one word out and that was 'bye'. As far as my grandparents go, I only know they don't hate me because my cousins didn't come after me like they wanted to."

"Why would they come after you?" Xander asked.

Nick gave him another look, this one a look of dubiousness.

"Oh…right…" he said.

Nick nodded and played with the edges of his glass for a few minutes before Katie returned.

"Need refills?" she asked.

"Ah…yeah, that'd be great Katie," Xander smiled.

She flashed a playful frown and collected the glass and cup and disappeared, only to return with two new ones, filled to the brim.

"Here ya go," she said cheerfully, "Your food will be out in about 2 minutes."

Xander and Nick thanked her and she returned to her other four tables.

"She's working a lot tonight," Xander observed.

"Four tables?" Nick asked.

"Well normally she only does one or two. Sue usually covers the majority, but I guess she's not in tonight."

"Oh…I see," Nick said.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable with my prying…I didn't really mean anything by it."

"It's fine. I understand. But I'm just not really…ready to talk about all that right now. Someday I will be, just not now," Nick responded.

"I completely understand," Xander said.

Katie returned with two large trays, consisting of the meals Xander had ordered for them. When his eyes set upon the food, Nick's jaw dropped. Why Xander insisted on buying him something so expensive was just a mystery to him.

"Here ya go, enjoy!" Katie stated, swishing away to the back.

"Well, dig in mate."

And that's just what Nick did.

There wasn't much room for conversation during the meal, and by the time each of them were finished, it was well past 10. In agreement, the two rose from their seats, bid Katie farewell, and started off toward Nick's sister's house.

The two didn't talk much during the walk, but like the silence while in the awkward position at the shop, this one was a comfortable silence. The only words were spoken near the front of Nick's sisters'.

"Thanks for…everything really…I don't really know how I can repay you but—"

"Nick, you don't have to repay me. It's fine, really, I enjoyed tonight."

Both rangers cracked a smile. They knew what Xander was hinting at. The question was weather or not they were going to go for it in public. And they did.

Like the one before, it wasn't the most thunderous of occasions, but it was a bit more passionate than the first. It still lasted somewhere between 5 and 10 seconds, but it was completing.

"Um…goodnight," Nick said awkwardly afterward.

"Night," Xander replied with a chipper tone.

Each boy walked their own way, Xander heading home, and Nick to his front door. Briarwood could definitely pass as a permanent home.

**Okay…so I don't really know why I needed "Code Busters" for that one because it had nothing to do with it. Maybe next chapter will. I guess I felt I couldn't skip over the important dinner, and I had to squeeze in something more emotional than a brush across the lips :. Next chapter will be hinting around the team :…only a select member though, they can't tell everyone, that just would be too easy. Anyway, thank you for all the reviews, you have no idea how much they mean to me. Anyway, later. **


	6. The Halcyon Dispute

**Sorry for the lapse in updates, school has been hell lately and we have mid-terms this week so I'm not sure how many chapters I can get done. Wish me luck.**

**I don't own Disney or I wouldn't be going to school so often.**

_Chapter 6-The Halcyon Dispute_

Nick squirmed as he awakened to the sun filtering through his lousy, thin drapes. He groaned as he attempted to sit up and promptly returned to his lying position.

He'd obviously been having a very…risqué dream…probably involving Xander of some sorts.

He decided he'd have to get up and take a fairly cold shower, at least until his problem was resolved…

Xander threw the trash into the larger dumpster like bin before returning to the warmness of his house. It was still rather early, 7:30 to be exact, but he was already awake. He didn't much like sleeping the day away, and it was perfect jogging weather. With that in mind, he changed into some running attire and grabbed his Mp3 player. With a final glance at his OCD arranged room, Xander shut the door and began jogging as he flipped the player to good running music.

Once out of the shower, Nick looked all around for his sister before finally giving up and retiring to the kitchen to make a meal. He was still partially full from the extravagant breakfast-dinner Xander had treated him to.

Xander.

That was a word that sent his mind on a reel. It wasn't like Nick had known him all his life, or like whatever they had was going to last all their lives. Nick wanted kids and he was sure of that. But how could he possibly have kids if he was gay.

"Adopt," he said aloud, startling his own self.

He shook his head at his jitters and resumed his meal, thinking about the green ranger.

_I should probably go work on my bike_. He thought absently. There wasn't much he could do, other than arrange his room, and at that moment, that didn't seem like the most enjoyable of the two.

So, with his decision, he grabbed a rag that he'd purchased earlier and headed outside.

He remembered walking with Xander to the very spot at the end of the drive way. With his bike near him, he'd kissed Xander. It almost felt like having some_thing _else than his bike in his life…that he was somehow cheating.

_That's insane_. He laughed as he started polishing the vehicle.

Xander rounded the final bend before ending up at his house once more. He swallowed large amount of water before showering and getting ready for work. He knew he would have to take the 9 to 4 shift today since he'd closed yesterday. But today, Vida and Chip would have to close, meaning Maddie would want to do something.

_But all **I **really want to do is spent time with Nick…_he thought.

He cast his thoughts aside long enough for him to shower and put on his atrocious uniform, but in the back of his mind, he was smiling…for he'd see Nick in less than half an hour.

Nick arrived at the Rock Porium just as Toby was walking up.

"Hey Nick, I wanted to tell you, you and Xander did a great job closing up last night," he said.

Nick tried to read Toby's face. What was he hinting at? They didn't do anything special; they'd just done what the standard was.

"Um…thanks…I guess?"

Toby nodded and smiled before walking through the door.

Nick sighed. He knew Xander was already inside. Xander wouldn't be late, or there at exactly 9. No, for Xander, on time was 5 minutes early.

With a final inhale and exhale, Nick opened the door to the Rock Porium.

The air was tense…or at least he thought, but no one seemed to know of anything.

"Hey Nick," Vida said as she brushed past him.

"Oh, hey V," Nick replied as he waltzed up to the desk.

"Hey Nick, can you go help Xander with the Classic Rock section, apparently he's not too good at alphabetizing," Toby said as he busied himself with something.

Having to bite his tongue in argument, Nick sucked in a breath and looked over at Xander, who, in frustration, was moving CD's back and forth in front of his eyes.

"I think D comes before E," Nick said dryly.

Xander turned to meet him.

"So The Doors come before the Eagles?"

Nick nodded slowly, "What grade did you say you were in?"

Xander laughed, "Very funny mate, I can read just fine…I just have a bit of trouble alphabetizing."

"So I see," Nick responded as he grabbed a stack.

Both knew what they wanted to talk about. They both knew what each other had probably dreamed about…being their age that is…And they both knew what the other wanted to do about it…but neither of them said anything.

It was more along the lines of a dispute than a refusal to speak. They were battling their feelings while remaining calm and peaceful to each other…rather than attacking the others face.

At 4, Nick, Xander, and Madison left the Rock Porium together, less than thrilled at the uninteresting day that had passed.

"So Xander, you up for a movie today?" Maddie asked as they slowly walked down the sidewalk.

Nick felt a twinge of something. Jealousy? Hell to the no…at least he didn't think that was it.

"Uh…I dunno, Nick, what about you?"

"Oh…um…well" Nick fumbled.

He was saved by the twinkling of their Mystic Phones.

"Nick here," he said hurriedly, relieved at Udonna's timing.

"Nick, have the others come to Root Core, I've got a wonderful training session planned for you today," she said.

"Chip and Vida are still working…what do you want us to do?"

"Ask for a break…this is a rather important training session and I think you'll like it."

With that, the phone switched off and Nick flipped it shut.

"Toby's not gonna like this," Madison said with a face.

"Let me break it to him, ay?" Xander asked.

He walked back into the store and in minutes returned with the Pink and Yellow Rangers.

"All accounted for, let's go," Xander said as they all lined up by the tree.

After the worm incident, Xander had been thinking about the previous events that day. He acted totally out of character saving Nick like that, but he didn't mind, and the others didn't seem to notice. It wasn't that Xander didn't want the others to know, but he wanted Nick to have his time and to tell the others when he was ready.

That was the problem…who knew how long that would take?

Nick sighed as he and Maddi did some extra stocking work in the back as Chip, Vida, and his fixation Xander were in the front helping customers.

"You okay?" Madison asked.

"Oh, yeah, fine."

She looked at him skeptically as he pulled a box down.

"You sure?"

Nick stopped; he remembered what Xander said about his inability to lie.

"Uh…Maddie…can I ask you something? Something…personal?"

Madison fidgeted a bit as she spoke, "Um…I guess, sure. What's up?"  
"Well, it's not really about you; it's kind of about…"

"Vida?"

"No it's…"

"Chip?"

_How much more ironic could it get?_ Nick thought furiously, _Why's she gotta call his name last?_

"No…Xander."

"Oh, what about him?"

"Well…is he um…is it really true that…god…I really don't know how to say this," Nick said as he rubbed his head.

"Oh…I think I know what this is about," Madison said slowly, "You're worried about Xander's sexuality, aren't you?"

"Well…yeah, kinda."

"Well don't worry, he's gay, but I don't think he'll make a move on you…" she said, then continued, "Unless you want him to."

It was then Nick wished more than anything he had the ability to control his mouth, "Why wouldn't I?"

Maddie's mouth dropped, "NICK!"

"Oh shit…"

"You and…and Xander?" she gasped, a broad smile on her face.

"Okay…okay…I'll leave, just don't tell anyone," he said in an ashamed tone.

"Leave? What are you talking about? This is amazing? I've been trying to get Xander to date for years and you just come up out of nowhere and in two days, bam!"

Nick looked confused, "Wait…how do you…know exactly what happened?"

"Oh I don't really know…but I have noticed you two seeming a little odd. At first I was afraid you two didn't like each other and you were going to disagree a lot…but apparently you like each other more than expected!" she laughed.

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**So, Madison is the lucky confident. I should be able to get another Chapter up no later than Thursday. Hope for the best. Sorry if this chapter was not so good, it's been a while since I've seen Code Busters so my events may be off. Anyway, later.**


	7. The Infinitive Remainder

**Okay, so I promise that this week will have like 4 chapters, I've got so much to work with after this previous episode that I know I can't fit it all in a chapter while maintaining good taste. Plus, I have St. Patty's day off, and the day before, so lots of free time. Anyway, don't own Mystic Force, this is non-profit fiction. Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 7—Infinitive Remainder**

Nick was exhausted. After confiding in Maddi, putting his body through so much physical stress with that rock monster, _and _Necrolai, he figured he deserved a small rest.

It was still fairly early, 7:45 PM, but it only felt right to lay down and get some rest. But he couldn't get his mind of the one topic it seemed to be stuck on: Xander.

He wanted to trust Xander with everything, but that felt like he was moving to fast. And he wanted to kiss Xander again, but that seemed like overkill. So what was he left to do? Think.

That day, he and Xander had made a lot of physical contact, more so than normal. First while confronting Necrolai, Nick hadn't noticed Xander held his hand for so long, and he also didn't notice who he'd held his hand on Xander's stomach for a few seconds before going into morphing stance.

_No sense in dwelling on it…_he thought as he began to undress.

It was uncharacteristically hot that day, and he didn't feel like sweating while sleeping, so he slipped under his sheet in his boxers and dozed off.

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_Why am I falling for so hard for him?_ Xander racked his brain. He'd been wondering the same question since their breakfast-dinner the night before. He was just a guy, a guy that popped up out of no where and managed to charm everyone. A guy Xander just couldn't get out of his mind.

_I'm quite sure there's something wrong with me. It can't be normal for me to be thinking of him this much._

His thoughts were interrupted by a ringing sound.

Looking around, Xander found it coming from the Mystic Morpher, though this time it was an actual ring.

"Hello?"

"Xander?" he heard Madison's voice ask.

"Yeah, what's up Maddi?"

"I dunno, is there something you wanna tell me?"

"Um…not particularly, no," Xander replied steadily.

"Mhm…so nothing about Nick or anything?"

Xander's heart jumped but he remained calm, "No Maddi, what makes you think that?"

"You're a very good liar Xander," Madison complimented, "But Nick already told me…accidentally I think?"

Xander blinked a few times and let his head fall back on his pillow "Oh he did, did he?"  
"Yeah…so when were you planning on telling us?"

"I wasn't."

"Ugh? Why not?"

"Because though it's partly my business, I needed to wait for Nick to be ready."

"You're such a gentleman. There need to be more straight guys like you."

Xander laughed, "Well thanks Maddy."

"Anytime. So Xander…when did this all start?"

"First day he got here…I really don't know what happened. It happened so fast, I mean, I can barely remember all the details…"

As Xander recollected the events of the day before to Maddi. Near the end, and after bombardments of questions, Maddy and Xander said their goodbyes as they rested up for another nights rest.

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At work the next day, Xander seemed to be feeling somewhat revealed. It felt as if everyone knew, not that he cared, but it hurt somewhat that Nick hadn't consulted him before hand. It's not like he'd told Nick he was comfortable with everyone knowing, so Nick was actually being somewhat…rude.

Speaking of Nick, he heard him having an odd conversation with Chip about crocodiles that seemed almost as pointless as the plunger he was holding.

Xander turned back to his business, and was walking out the door when Nick bumped into him, knocking the items in Xander's hands out of place.

"Oh…a thousand dollars. Could use some money like that."

"Yeah, we all could mate," Xander said with a smile as he took the money back.

He tried to shake the jolt he'd felt when connecting with Nick. Why did he have to be so damn electric? Wasn't that Chip's job?

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_What the hell was that voice? Why would Vida and Maddi do something like that to me? What the fuck have I done to them? _Nick wondered furiously as he unpacked a truck.

Then that annoying girl Leelee came up, sporting her new leather jacket that her rich parents probably bought her. He had a right mind to tell her off, but decided snapping at her would suffice.

"I don't have time," Nick said finally after she practically set up a date for the two of them.

She turned around in dismay grumbling about something, but Nick really didn't care. He was trying to find out who wanted him gone.

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_Give her my number, that girl is absurd. Anything to get away from her…_Xander thought as he walked out. He knew he couldn't leave the shop unattended with the money in there, but a quick breather settled his mind.

In the distance by the tree, Xander glimpsed the moody Nick working on his bike, obviously deep in thought.

Xander shook his head and returned to the shop, only to find the money missing, and that was when he started to panic.

_Oh god Nick, what have you done?_

He asked himself as he turned to leave the store.

**Ah…the seed of mistrust…perfect plot! Hahaha, send me lots of reviews please : ), I'd kill for them. **

**--- - Patrick**


	8. Still so Young, Desperate for Attention

**Sorry it's taken so long for this chapter, it seemed harder to write than I originally thought. Anyway, here it is, chapter 8.**

**Chapter 8—Still so Young, Desperate for Attention**

Being frustrated was something Nick was never good at handling. Hell, he wasn't good at controlling half of his emotions, but frustration and anger were two he was never even relatively close to being good at.

He turned the wrench harder than necessary as he tuned on his bike.

_Why would Vida and Maddy do that to me? It was nowhere near funny…_

He couldn't stop thinking about it. They didn't even bother to apologize either, let alone follow to see if he was okay.

_I knew this was too good to be true_.

But it couldn't have been Vida or Maddy, because while he was unpacking the truck, the voice came again.

_It sounds kind of familiar…_he thought slowly as he worked on the same bolt.

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"Well I know _I _didn't take the money," Chip concluded.

Xander was really panicked. He'd never had a taste for the bad boys before now, and all the sudden he'd become attracted to the biggest of the bad boys in Briarwood; Nick.

"Let's talk to him about it," Xander finished.

The four rangers headed off to find Nick, and ended up finding him where he usually was. Apparently the spot just seemed right for him.

"Hey Nick," Xander said slowly.

"Hey," he said absently.

He hadn't noticed that all four were looking somewhat preoccupied.

"Um, Nick…there's 1000 dollars missing from the store…and um…" Madison stopped, she knew her point was made.

The look in Nick's eyes wasn't angry, but it hurt more than being struck down by Necrolai. It hurt horribly bad, and it was then Xander knew he'd made a mistake, though most evidence pointed towards him.

_No, he's guilt tripping me, I barely know him._

"Oh…I see…I'm the new guy. I come here, charm my way into your lives, and then steal from you, right?" he asked.

The resentment was now clear in his voice.

"Well, that's sorta what we were thinking," Chip added.

If Nick had a little less self-control and a bit less liking towards Chip, he would've knocked the red out of his hair.

"I should've known. And I thought you guys were…never mind."

He straddled his bike and was gone in a roar of the engine.

_What **have** we done?_ Xander wondered as he watched the motorcycle disappear.

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Apologies were in order, but Xander knew that no matter how many times he apologized, Nick would secretly be angry with him. He would've been mad at himself if he'd accused…himself of _stealing_? Well, never mind, but he'd have been mad too.

Later that night at work, he'd managed to get Nick alone. Their attitude towards each other had been…off since that days earlier events.

"Look, I'm sorry, I really am. I told you I trusted you and I broke that promise today," Xander said.

"Yeah, you did," Nick replied in a hollow tone.

"And I'm sorry for it. But…the evidence—"

"Evidence WHAT Xander? Pointed to me? Yeah, I know. But did you ever think that you, Mr. Perfect, made a mistake? Did you take into account that _maybe_ the evidence was wrong and that you _might _just have to take a leap of faith; get your hands dirty for once?"

Xander stuttered out, "No, I mean, I don't know, but I made a mistake now."

"Yeah, you _really_ did," Nick said in a matter-of-fact way.

The backroom seemed to echo the silence that settled in, before Xander finally spoke again, "I said I was sorry."

"Yeah, I heard you the first time. But you lost my trust…it takes a lot more than a word to gain it back," Nick said.

His gray-green eyes shot to Xander's brown eyes before he walked out the backroom door.

Madison saw Nick leave the backroom and she began to worry when Xander didn't come out after him, especially with the look on Nick's face.

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**Problems already? Not a good sign for the love-struck rangers. I really 3 reviews : ) and you leave good ones, don't falter. **


	9. Fell While Holding Diamonds

**Thank you for all your reviews, they really keep me going, and I'm getting slack, so this chapter is longer, and there _will_ be more updates more frequently. Anyway, chapter 9, I don't own anything.**

**Chapter 9—Fell While Holding Diamonds**

"You can't be serious," Madison said incredulously as Xander recounted his and Nick's events.

"I wouldn't joke about something like that."

"Well, did you apologize?"

"Profusely."

"Well…what you did was kind of…I dunno…bad?"

"What _I _did?"

"Yes Xander, what _you _did. For someone to be so responsible you like to put the blame on someone else…" Madison said quietly.

Xander sighed and slumped down on the couch. He was glad the others had noticed anything between himself and Nick; that was all he needed.

"Look, my advice to you: Go to his house, talk to him about it. He can't hold a grudge that long…and if he does…well, maybe it isn't meant to work?"

"What's not meant to work?" Vida asked.

Xander blanched, "Uh…" his mind and mouth threw up an answer, "The Mystic Morpher ring tones."

Vida bought it quickly, "Oh I changed mine a long time ago," She replied.

"Mind doing mine for me?" Xander asked genuinely.

She smiled a half grin, "Why should I?"

"Please?" he said with a pleading smile.

With a roll of her eyes, Vida grabbed his phone and slumped off.

"Too close…" Xander breathed heavily.

"I still don't see why they can't know," Maddi said.

"Because that's the way Nick wants it."

"What ever happened to 'no more secrets'?" she asked cleverly.

Xander cast her a sour look, "That's different."

"How?" Madison wondered.

"I don't know…it just is. The guy's had a rough life; I'd hate it if that continue here."

"You can be such a romantic," Madison giggled.

Xander tossed a pillow at Madison, successfully hitting her in the face.

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Nick kicked at rocks in his way as walked around the neighborhood. He could easily have ridden his bike, but a walk seemed necessary.

_I just don't understand…why is it so hard for people to trust me but so easy for me to trust them?_

He aimlessly walked down the road, silently coming to the diner he and Xander had gone to not long ago. He suddenly remembered how close to the shop he was and how that was that last place he wanted to be near.

He turned on his heel and began the walk back to his sister's.

_You have no reason to trust them. So they've bailed you out a few times…you've done the same for them. Apparently I need to start living in survival mode again…because this trust thing is just too out of line and—_

His thoughts were interrupted by a voice and clasp on the shoulder "Hey Nick, you alright?"

Nick looked back startled to see Toby with a concerned look on his face.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine, just…" he pauses waving his hand in front of his face absently, "Got a lot on my mind. What about you, why you out here?"

"Grocery shopping," Toby replied with a smile, holding the bag up.

"Oh, I see."

"Well if you're sure everything's okay then I'll leave you to your thoughts," he said as he lifted a hand in farewell.

Nick repeated his action and kept walking.

_Can I trust him?_

He turned to look at Toby's receding figure.

_Nah…_

When he got home, he went to the kitchen, got some food, retreated to his room, and sat, watching some TV.

"Pretty depressing…" He said to himself, turning the TV off.

With a sigh he got up and walked over to the spare computer sitting in the corner.

_Ah what the hell…nothing better to do._

With that he turned on the computer, searching around for nothing in particular before stumbling across MySpace.

"I always wondered what the big fuss was about these things…"

He clicked the link and slowly but surely, was sucked into making one. Once he had a basic layout he decided to search Briarwood for Vida, Chip, Maddi, and Xander…it was only necessary to have _some_ amount of friends.

When he could only find Madison's he sent her a request and slouched back in the rolling chair before an idea struck him.

_I could…look him up…_

He leaned forward as he debated. Finally, with all the will power he had, he typed in a name he hadn't written in years.

And up popped a single window.

"The life of Brice."

Nick sat in awe. What could he possibly do? Could he confront Brice after all these years, somehow apologize and make up for something he wished he'd never done?

For some reason, a voice in Nick's head, not quite like Koragg's, told him to do it. As masochistic as it was, Nick clicked the link and wrote a message, explaining himself and his actions…

"_Hey…um…you might not remember me, it's been a while…but you probably won't want to remember me. Uh, anyway, I kinda just wanted to know if you were able to let everything go. I mean, I didn't really know much at the time, not as much as I do now. But in all honesty I have to say it was my fault completely. I just don't understand why it happened. I guess part of me knows it was wrong, and the other part tells me I was too young to understand, when it was only 3 years ago. I know I'm not your favorite person in the world, and I'm sure you and you're friends make fun of me everyday, but at least this way I'm trying._

_--Nick Russell"_

With some hesitation, Nick clicked send to user. Over the span of 30 minutes he frequently checked back, hoping for a reply. In the meantime, he 'decorated' his personal page, proving more difficult than normal, and how he'd somehow gained an unusual attraction red since becoming a ranger.

After his page was done, he checked one last time for a reply, but nothing was there.

With a sigh he X-ed out of the page and clicked on whatever music his sister had on her media player.

Everything she had he wasn't really big on, he never really listened to much music, but when he did it was something more 80's rock. What she had was more…well…'jam rock' and things of the sort. With no resolution in sight, he played some Phish and laid in his bed, slowly dosing off into a nightmare filled sleep.

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Once her shift was off, Maddi performed her usual ritual at home: Shower, eat, TV recordings, computer.

Having many things to do on the computer, she went through her favorites list until she came across MySpace. Upon seeing Nick's friend request, she gladly accepted and looked over his profile.

_About Me:_

_I'm just looking to make some actual, real, trusting friends._

That single sentence had Madison deeply hurt. What were they to him? They'd given him one reason not to trust them, and he was taking it all too far.

"We'll see…" she said a bit spitefully, turning the computer off.

If that boy didn't learn to play well with others, he would get himself in a whole lot of trouble at Briarwood High.

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**Okay, so, I don't think Nick really has a MySpace profile, it was something I threw in there so he and Brice could talk, it's a major part in the plot. Um, also, we see more of a budding relationship with different characters instead of focusing solely on Nick and Xander, I used some other characters to show how they were feeling…I think it worked pretty well, but that's your decision to make. Leave me a review and tell me what you thought. Later, **

**---------------------- Patrick**


	10. No Longer Being Masochistic

**Chapter 10—No Longer Being Masochistic…**

All throughout the night, Nick tossed and turned, getting very few hours of sleep. Not only was that stupid horse on his mind, but Xander as well. First of all, he'd never been scared of horses before, and second of all, he had no reason to fear Xander.

_But school…_he thought to himself as he groggily turned on the shower. The steam rose up, stimulating his eyes somewhat, enough for him to carry on with his daily routine without falling asleep.

When he arrived at the Briarwood High he didn't see anyone…at all.

_Oh no…I hope I'm not late!_

He hurriedly parked his bike, hanging his helmet on the handle bar, and jumped off, running to the main building. Before he got there he ran past a woman carrying a stack of papers.

"Young man!" she shouted in a shrill voice, "_Where_ exactly is that you think you're going?"

Nick turned around and huffed out an answer, "Uh, well, I'm supposed to be starting today and I think I'm late!"

The woman cracked a smile, "You're not late. You're early."

Nick's face dropped.

"What?"

"Yes, school doesn't start for another 45 minutes."

Nick groaned and rubbed his still damp hair. What was he going to do for 45 minutes…he hoped his mystic morpher had games…

Nick thanked the woman and turned on his heel, back towards his bike.

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"C'mon Maddi, we're gonna be late!" Vida growled as her sister double checked her backpack for her books.

"I'm coming V!" she shouted impatiently, "Just because you don't take a backpack to school."

"What for? They give you lockers to hold your books in," Vida said incredulously as she backed out of the driveway and skidded down the road.

Vida cautiously clicked her seatbelt in and looked out the window.

"What's up sis?" Vida wondered, reading Madison's blank yet worried expression.

"It's Nick…"

"What about him?"

"Well…he just doesn't consider us his friends…and that bothers me."

"I'm sure he considers us friends, Maddi. You worry too much," Vida replied.

Madison put on a look of doubt, "No, I don't think so. He sent me friend request last night and I read his profile. In his about me he said he just wanted to meet actual, _real, _friends."

"Maybe he just means more friends," Vida said skeptically, seeing through the fluffed up drama Maddi was spewing.

"Well why aren't we good enough?"

"Madison!" Vida half yelled in shock, "Don't be selfish. I cannot believe you just said that. Of course we're good enough, it's just he needs more than just us as friends. We're around each other _all_ the _time_: Fighting evil, working at Toby's, and now at school. He's going to need someone else. And probably a girlfriend."

Vida's last addition made Madison give her a wry look, but she quickly turned away.

"What was that, sis?" Vida asked.

"What was what?" Maddi feigned.

"That face. You know something don't you?" Vida accuesed.

Madison blanched and shook her head furiously.

"Nick has a girlfriend?"

"Not quite my choice of words…"

Vida was confused for a few seconds, then, like a brick wall, it hit her.

"Oh my GOD!"

Vida slammed on the breaks, causing the guy behind her to go nuts.

"Shut up!" Vida yelled to them, giving them her slender middle finger.

"Nick! Has a boyfriend?"

Madison looked away. She didn't tell Vida…Vida just kind of…guessed?

"I don't know…"

"Oh you know, Madison, you know! Who is it? Does Xander know?"

"Funny you should mention Xander."

Vida gasped in disbelief. Xander had finally gone out on a limb since dating that super jerk last year…that was something she did not even want to get into.

"So Nick and—" she was unable to finish her sentence when another blare of the person behind hers' horn snapped the seeming silence.

"Alright, alright, don't shit yourself!" Vida slammed on the gas, pushing them forward towards the school more.

"Yes…Nick and Xander…but you can't tell either of them I told you, they'll both kill me."

"This is just too weird…"

"Yeah, tell me about it. Hopefully Jeremy doesn't find out about this soon…or he'll make Nick's life hell like he did Xander's last year."

"Yeah…let's not talk about him anymore," Vida said as they pulled into the parking lot.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

His skateboard grinded to a stop as Xander flipped it into his hands, a preoccupied look on his face.

"Hey Xander," a chorus of girls rang.

He barely paid them a notice by waving to them before making his way to the groups normal meeting spot. Vida and Madison were already there.

"Xander," Madison said cheerfully.

"Hey Maddi, V," he greeted.

"What's wrong, you look worried," the blue ranger asked sincerely.

"I've just…got a lot to think about today, that's all."

"Hey everybody!" Chip entered.

The team looked around to see Chip parading up to them, looking much more normal than he did last week. Today he only had on jeans and a yellow Tee…

"What's up with everyone wearing their color lately?" Xander asked, eyeing his own green shirt.

"I don't know…even I've taken a sudden liking to this atrocious color," Vida commented.

Madison shrugged, "I've never had a problem with blue."

"Hey guys, where's Nick?" Chip asked off-handedly.

Of the entire ranger team, Chip was the only one that didn't know about Nick and Xander…causing him to be looked upon oddly…or more so than usual.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nick looked around campus but still couldn't find Vida, Madison, Chip, and Xander. People kept looking at him funny, or he thought so, and it didn't make matters much better when a total stranger came up to him.

"Hey, you new around here?"

Nick turned to see a blond boy, no taller than 6 feet with dull blue eyes standing before him. He looked to be more on the preppy/jock stereotype than any other group, based on his expensive clothing and hemp necklace.

"Oh, yeah, name's Nick," he said expertly. He'd done this a million times before…

"Jeremy, nice to meet you," the male said with a smile.

Nick smiled and the boy returned it, later offering to help him around school. This was going to be Nick's first school friend outside of his teammates.

But was it he right friend to be around…?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**The next few chapters I'm going to try and make up a past for Xander, so I apologize in advance if the show says something different than I do. In no way do I know if 'Jeremy' exists or will exist on Mystic Force, I just made up an OC, and there will be about two others, not with gigantic parts, but they'll be around school. Anyway, thank you for your reviews and I look forward to more.**

**------------------ Patrick**


	11. Mon Ange en Qui Je Crois

**Okay, so for some odd reason, Mystic Force wasn't on tonight, but I'm still going to add a chapter. So, here goes, chapter 11.**

**Chapter 11—Mon Ange en Qui Je Crois**

"Can't I just get a lobotomy? I mean anything that would get me over him,"   
A blond teen wondered half-jokingly as he slammed his locker shut and leaned against the metal door.

"Casey, It's a new year, and a new you!" Vida pulled a book out of her locker and shut it. "By the way, you and blonde...way cute," Madison rose from the floor, books and

schedule in tow. It was the start of a new year and she was right where she always was, under a stack of academia.

"Thanks. But seriously. I have been crushing on Alexander Bly since he transfered here Freshman year and I am so over it."

The blonde teen pushed some hair out of his eyes. He had gone through a total transformation over the summer. He had started off for a summer in London with his school's theater company frumpy and with coffee brown hair. Now, thirty pounds lighter and newly dyed locks, he was almost a different person. "Crushes suck."

"That's why they're called crushes Case. Getting crushed ain't exactly a party." Vida slipped her bag over her shoulder and the three headed down the hallway. It was crowded with the students of Briarwood High School.

"Yeah I guess. I just don't get it." Casey said, looking from girl to girl. They had been his neighbors since grade school and his best friends for what seemed like forever.

"What?" A familiar voice spoke, making them cringe from behind. "Oh wait, let me guess, you don't get why you're just fooling yourself with the hair? Honey please, just because you have blonde locks doesn't mean Xander will notice you."

"I guess you would know, wouldn't you Leelee?" Vida flashed a quick smile, totally trumping the peroxide blonde's retort.

"Whatever." Leelee tossed a curl over her soulder. "You freaks should really be put in a separate hallway from us normal Juniors."

"Oh go slither off and eat your young." Casey continued walking, Madison and Vida chuckling past Leelee, who was stunned. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nick sat through his grueling first block. Lucky for him, he didn't have any of his 'friends' in his first class—Home Economics. Maybe he'd find out how to make some new friends? On top of Jeremy that is…

_That guy seemed genuinely nice…Maybe this school won't be so bad._

Jeremy brought an immediate smile to his face…but Nick was still thinking about Xander. He hadn't meant to come off so asshole-ish, but Xander really did break his trust, and he should've known it would take more than an apology to get it back. He had to prove himself.

"Another year, another teacher," a blond boy sighed.

Nick turned a bit in his seat to see the male sitting next to him. He had side swept blond hair and startling green eyes.

"You mean there's a new teacher every year for this class?" Nick wondered curiously.

"Yep, normally they break down in the middle of the year…the preps put her through the ringer last year," the classmate laughed.

"That's bad," Nick laughed almost to himself.

"I haven't seen you around here before, you've got to be new. Name's Casey, and you?" the male now named Casey asked.

"Nick Russell," Nick replied, shaking the hand that was offered.

Casey nodded but before he could respond, a rough looking man entered the classroom with the look like he hadn't shaved in maybe a week, and his hair looking like he'd just flown here on a broom…though Nick knew that wasn't entirely absurd.

"Evening class!" he shouted.

"Um, excuse me…it's morning," a girl replied, her attitude obvious.

"Oh, right, sorry bout that. Morning!"

"Good morning," the class said drearily.

"Oh this should be so much fun…" Nick said solemnly as he pulled open his notebook and began to doodle.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Xander had no problem charming up to his Calculus teacher, lucky for him she happened to be easily moved by accents. After second block, he headed off to lunch, sure to hear all about everyone's day and hoping against hope to see Nick.

"Hey Case, loving the hair, mate." Xander took a seat between the lovesick teenager and his best friend Madison. Casey just blushed and smiled.

"Yeah, it makes you look brighter. Like…uh…" Madison was trying to find a way to help Casey out. Nick was being a butt lately. If it wasn't meant to be with him, then there was still a chance for Casey. "I dunno...What do you think Xan?"

"You shine. Like Madds said, bright." He gave a quirky smile and turned to Vida, who was across the table. She returned his look with sweet eyes. It was really nice of him to have said something like that. Xander wasn't oblivious. He knew Casey liked him, just not to the extent of how much. Don't get him wrong, Casey was sweet, but almost breakable. Xander knew he would hurt him somehow, and couldn't stand the thought of it. So he decided to change the subject.

"Have you guys seen Nick?"

"Oh uh, that new guy? Motorcycle and such?" Casey pulled his hair behind his ear and gave Xander the big green eye treatment. "I have him in my Home Ec class."

Xander looked over to Casey and it was like he saw him a little bit differently. "Really?" There was a bit of flirt in his tone. "Did you...uh..talk?"

"Yeah, I asked him if he would want to eat with us, but he said he had to do something. Why? Do you know him?"

"Yeah, we uh..." Xander wanted so bad to just tell him, and the rest of the school how they were together and his heart sang for the Red Ranger. But after the day before, he didn't quite know where the two stood." We work together."

"Oh wow, he didn't mention it." Casey turned back to his apple. "I guess he thought I was talking about another Alexander."

"You said Alexander?" Madison smiled. She knew that Casey was the only one to call him by his full name. "That must be it."

"Of Course." Casey sensed something off about Xander. He was kind of staring off into space a bit. "Do you want me to go get him?"

"No need, 'him' just walked into the lunchroom." Vida motioned with a fork full of rubbery macaroni. Nick was walking in with Chip. The two guys quickly saw the group, but as soon as Nick saw Xander he gave Chip a pat on the back and turned back down the hallway.

As Chip approached the table and dropped his lunch on the hard wood. He looked a bit confused. "Odd."

"What?" Xander asked a little too eagerly. "What did he say?"

"He said he forgot something in his locker and would meet us at work." Chip opened the brown paper sack and pulled out a tuna salad sandwich. His favorite.

"Yeah, I bet." Xander sat back in his seat and inhaled deeply. Something caught his senses. Casey's hair smelled like honey. "New shampoo?"

Casey turned to face the Aussie with a mouth full of apple. Through the chunks of fruit he finally managed to muster "Pardon?"

"Nothing."

The green ranger rose from him seat and decided to get out of the lunchroom. Casey was clouding his thoughts. Was it the new look. He definitely was beyond adorable, but he never thought that way about him before. It was just Nick getting on his mind. He had to get out before he did something. "I gotta go get to my next class. It's physics with Mr. Monroe, I dun wanna make him mad at me on the first day."

"Oh hey, I have him next too. Mind if I come?" Casey looked up from him with those big green eyes.

"No, I uh, sure." Xander wanted to be alone, but he couldn't bring himself to say no. The two stepped into the hall and were off to class.

**New OC. Hope you liked! Later, review!**


	12. All I Really Want

**Chapter 12—All I Really Want…**

Nick had no idea why he blanched when he saw Xander and the others at lunch. He could easily have gone and talked to them, maybe even attempt talking to Xander…but he didn't like being lied to or accused of. Xander was going to have to prove how loyal he was…and that was just how it was going to have to be.

"Lost?"

Someone asked.

Nick turned in the direction of the voice.

"Jeremy, hey…uh, no I'm not lost, I was just going to get something," Nick answered.

"Oh, okay, cuz the lunchroom's that way," Jeremy said with a smile, pointing back with his thumb.

"Y-yeah…I know."

Jeremy nodded slowly, "You seem kinda…I dunno…odd. Something bothering you?"

"Well…uh…yeah, just a little. Um…look I really gotta get—"

"Maybe I can help, I mean, with your problem," Jeremy said smoothly.

Nick looked around, "Ah…well…it's my friends. It's just been weird to be around them lately…"

"Who?"

"You prob'ly wouldn't know 'em," Nick dismissed.

"Try me."

"Chip, Maddi, Vida, and _Xander_."

"Oh, yeah…I know them really well actually," Jeremy said with some spite.

"What is there some kind of history here I don't know about?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Tell ya what, I'll buy you lunch and get you caught up on everything."

"Um…I don't know…what about the rest of my classes?"

"I can have you back in time…if you want that."

Nick looked like he was having conflicting emotions, which was an accurate presumption, but he didn't like to be read easily.

"Nah…might as well just hang out…there's only 2 more classes left."

"Alright then!" Jeremy said, slinging his arm around Nick's shoulder.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, what's up with that new guy? How come he seemed all…avoiding?" Casey asked, not sure what to make of everything.

"Uh…I'm not really—" Xander stopped.

His blood ran cold, his face paled, and his mouth froze. Walking towards them to the exit of the school was Nick, and walking right beside Nick with his arm slung over his shoulder was the source of Xander's Sophomore problems: Jeremy.

"Alexander…Casey to Alexander…" Casey signaled.

Xander didn't care. He knew what was going to happen…but Nick seemed to almost be enjoying Jeremy's company. They were coming closer and closer, Xander would have to do _something_, he couldn't just _let _Nick get mixed up with Jeremy.

"H-hey, Nick, what's up? Uh, you know Casey right? He's in your first period?" Xander asked, attempting to start a conversation, maybe to make Nick forgive him for distrusting him.

"Yeah…he is."

"Great, so why don't you come back to the lunch table and sit with us?" Xander questioned carefully.

"But I th—" Casey started to say, before Xander nudged him.

"Vida wants to talk to you about our shifts," Xander added nervously.

"I think I'll pass," Nick said slowly, trying to figure out what was really going on.

"So I guess we'll leave you to that," Jeremy added with a nod.

"Wait," Xander said, stepping in their way. He decided it was time for plan B…even if Casey didn't know about Nick, he had to stop Jeremy.

"Xander, move," Jeremy demanded.

"This doesn't involve you. Now listen Nick, I don't know what you're planning on doing, but you walk out that door with him, and you're whole life here is gonna be turned upside down."

Casey frowned. He knew Xander and Jeremy had messed around or whatever they called it, but he never knew the extent to which Xander was hurt by the ending of that. Not only that, but he had no idea why Jeremy was so interested in Nick and why Xander was so intent on keeping him away from Nick.

Unless…Xander wanted Nick for himself!

"Xander…I think you should just let 'em go," Casey encouraged, unintentionally glaring at Nick.

"I think you should listen to your boyfriend Xander," Jeremy said in an uncaring tone. Apparently he was over all this drama.

"Boyfriend?" Nick asked, his face turning pale.

"No!" Xander denied, "Jeremy, stop!"

"What did I do?" Jeremy asked bewilderedly.

"What haven't you done?" Xander retorted.

Nick and Casey backed up, watching the two go at it.

"Well, I guess I can scratch _you _off that list!" Jeremy shot back.

If Jeremy's previous comment about Casey and Xander hadn't shocked him enough, this startling fact surely did.

"WHAT?" Nick half-shouted.

What was _with_ the gay population of Briarwood? It was like a bad episode of Queer Eye…

"You seem mighty proud about that for someone who pretended to be straight for 3 months," Xander replied, now fully calm.

"I had no choice, I told you that. Why are you _still_ stuck on that?"

"Maybe because you love to throw it in my face whenever you can?"

"Bull shit."

"Prove it."

"I don't have to prove anything to you, Xander. Why don't you just get over it and go out with _him_," Jeremy suggested, cocking his head toward Casey, who was still silent.

"That's not fair, Jeremy. Don't bring him into this, he has nothing to do with it."

"And Nick does?"

"Yes!"

"No!" Nick denied, not wanting everyone to know just yet what his orientation was. Sure he was fine with Xander knowing, and sure the other two were apparently gay…but he still didn't feel right.

"What?" Casey asked, now getting confused.

"Wait, you two?" Jeremy asked, now putting two and two together.

"If you say anything," Xander began to threaten.

"You know what? There's nothing to tell! This is getting on my nerves. Why does it matter if I hang out with your ex, or whatever he is?" Nick demanded.

"Because he's a lying, cheating, prick, and if you get mixed up with him, he'll do the same thing he did to me to you," Xander explained.

"No, see Xander, you were naïve, you still are. I _told _you I couldn't do it anymore, I needed time and you said you wouldn't tell anyone, but instead you told that _bitch_ Vida! And who _doesn't_ she tell things to?" Jeremy fired back.

"How was I supposed to know she would tell?"

"But you shouldn't have told her at all," Nick said slowly, agreeing with Jeremy fully.

"B-but it was Vida!"

"She's still somebody," Jeremy shrugged.

"It's not like it mattered, no one believed her anyway," Casey began, "And no one really cared. For a while it was gossip, but the whole 'gay football player' scenario is played out…no one cares anymore."

"Yeah, but how was I supposed to know that? He broke my trust, and that's that."

Nick couldn't believe his ears. He'd not only broken his trust, but Xander had also broken Jeremy's trust before hand. Did Xander just not know how to keep secrets?

"Look, I gotta go…Xander…I…I dunno where this leaves us…but I think friends is a good assumption," Nick said lowly.

A look of hurt flashed across Xander's light brown eyes, before he threw on a smile, "Sure…"

"Later Casey," Jeremy said gently. He had nothing against the kid, though his sister Leelee did…

"Yeah," replied the other blond boy.

Nick and Jeremy left through the door and Xander fell back against the lockers, letting out a deep sigh.

"You okay?" Casey asked.

"…Yeah…"

"You don't sound like it."

Xander looked down at the shorter boy. Something about him lately had been attracting Xander…and he didn't know why. He'd known for the longest time Casey was going after him, but he didn't want to hurt the sensitive boy. But now…none of that seemed to matter as leaned down, connecting lips with Casey for the first time ever.

However, his timing was poor, as Nick was about to walk through the door when he saw through the glass window the scene unfolding before him. He decided his Home Economics homework could wait…or he'd get it from someone other than Casey…

**I'm SOOOOOOOOO sorry for the lapse in updates. I started writing this chapter a while ago and got bogged down with school and a stupid computer virus. Thanks for being so patient with me. My spring break starts tomorrow, so I'll see if I can ingratiate myself to you guys by throwing some more chapters together : ). Anyway, very dramatic, confusing chapter. I promise to answer any questions you have if you leave me a signed review or an email address. **

**-------------------- Patrick**


	13. Break Me

_**So I could make up excuses as to why this story took so long to be updated, but there are two simple reasons: Writer's Block, and Writer's Block, but only for this damn story. Apparently I'd left off on a place hard to develop from…**_

_Chapter 13—Break Me_

Was Nick jealous that some kid he just met earlier that day was making out with his boyfriend—correction; ex—boyfriend? Oh yeah, he was furious. He'd only officially broken up with Xander less than 10 minutes ago…and now this?

"You sure you're okay man, you look like a ghost…or like you just saw one," Jeremy stated.

Nick was zoned out and was barely able to pay attention to what was being said.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay?" Jeremy asked in a more concerned tone.

"Ah…no…actually, I'm not," Nick said.

"Does this have to do with…you know…back there?"

"Not really, I mean, kind of, but…what happened with you and Xander?"

"It's a really long story and I dunno if you'd really wanna hear it," Jeremy replied slowly.

"No," Nick said, looking at the blond, "Trust me, I want to know."

Jeremy pondered the idea for a few moments, then concluded, "Alright, but first, let's swing by my place so I can drop my stuff off, kay?"

"Sure," Nick answered half-heartedly.

In all fairness, Nick knew he had a right to know what had happened with the boys. Especially if Jeremy really _was_ hitting on him. He didn't want to get involved with someone he knew nothing about…but there was still a part of him nagging, saying what more could go wrong?

Jeremy swung into a medium size driveway, parking his truck.

"You comin' in?" he asked, as he'd already waited for several moments for Nick's attention.

Nick snapped out of his brainstorm, "Oh…uh, sure."

Both boys made their way into Jeremy's large, empty house.

"So ah…you say Leelee's your sister?"

"Well…she's adopted. My parents are weird, and they wanted another teenager, so they adopted her…"

"Weird…"

"That's what I said. But she's usually out, she's almost _never_ home…"

"Sounds about right…she's normally up at the Rock Porium annoying the hell out of _me_," Nick added.

Jeremy let out a small laugh as he opened the door to a cool home, with cream colored carpet and brilliantly white walls.

"Nice place."

"Thanks…we do our best," Jeremy joked as he headed up stairs.

"C'mon, I'll show you my room."

Nick hesitantly followed until they ended up in a large room, which accompanied a computer desk with (what else) a computer, a full sized bed, and a walk in closet to the left. Around the room were various NFL posters, surfing posters, baseball, typical guy things…only…Jeremy wasn't really typical. That much Nick could tell by watching the male on the computer, no doubt checking e-mail or something.

A shrill ring pierced the air, bringing Nick out of observation ever-so-suddenly.

"Ah, hang on, gotta get the phone," Jeremy said, heading for his door.

"Uh…feel free to do whatever," he said as parting phrase before disappearing downstairs.

Nick contemplated that offer, and idly checked his own e-mail, and then his Myspace.

"New Messages!" said a bright red sign below his default picture.

"Message?" Nick wondered absently.

He clicked the link and almost passed out when he saw who the message was from.

In words as clear as day, and a different picture than what he'd originally seen, was "The Life of Brice."

It felt as if his breath was caught in his throat, or like someone didn't want him breathing.

Slowly, Nick red the reply.

"_I think you were right, I don't _want_ to remember you, unfortunately I was forced to by your little message. Your profile says you're straight, but I have a feeling you're still as gay as you were then. Once a fag, always a fag. You can try all you want, but in the end, every sick fuck like you is going to burn in hell. Do me a favor, and leave me alone."_

Nick choked back something. It wasn't a tear or a sob…he really didn't know what it was, but it made him feel uncomfortable that after all these years, and no matter how many cities away they were, Brice still had complete control over him. Why did he care so much that Brice still hated him? Why couldn't he just let that asshole go?

"Who was that from?" Jeremy's voice startled Nick.

"Uh, no one," Nick said, quickly X-ing out of the window.

Nick was so caught up with the message he hadn't even heard Jeremy come in.

"I'm sorry," Jeremy said simply.

"For what?"

"That whoever that was feels like that. No one deserves that kind of treatment…"

Nick looked away from Jeremy's dull blue eyes, staring intently at the carpet.

In good nature, Jeremy stepped back and sat on his bed, waiting for Nick to explain, and explain he did.

He let out everything about Brice, even more than he did with Xander. He told Jeremy about their close knit friendship, about their horrible kiss, and about the message he'd written to his past friend. And after that he began telling Jeremy about Xander, including the kiss he saw Xander and Casey share.

By the time Nick was done explaining he had summoned some tears and by the end of the story, he was letting Jeremy hold him.

And slowly, Nick's pity and anguish toward Xander made him vulnerable, almost willing to give in to Jeremy. And give in he did…in a state of defenselessness and absolute unclearness.

And when he began to drift after the deed was done, a seed of guilt began to bloom. Sure he'd seen Xander kiss Casey, sure Brice wanted him to burn in hell, but he'd just lost his virginity to someone he barely even knew.

_**Tell me how horrible I am in a review! **_

_**------------ Patrick**_


	14. 1425 Words in a Letter

_Chapter 14—1425 words ina letter_

Despite having seen Vida turned into a vampire, seeing Xander with a huge zit, and then seeing him turned into a tree, Nick was still dwelling on Jeremy and Brice. How could 2 guys affect his life so much? Jeremy was too nice, and Brice was too much of a douche bag. Nick had some serious problems when it came to choosing guys…

"Hey Nick, the rest of us were gonna stop by Rootcore before work, wanna join?" Madison asked perkily.

"What for?" Nick asked in a rather distracted tone.

"Well, we wanted to check on the egg and make sure it's doing okay."

Nick nodded, "Sure…why not."

Madison sighed and watched the red ranger put his books in his locker ever-so sadly.

"Nick, I know you're having troubles with Xander, but you know you can't let that affect your ranger duties."

"And I haven't, okay? I won't. It's just…I really don't want to be around him when I don't have to be," Nick stated evenly.

Madison nodded, "I understand…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Vida, I don't think it's such a good idea for me to be around Nick for too long," Xander explained.

"Yeah, and I'm telling you I don't care. Chip's the only one that doesn't know about this and you two are making it easier and easier to tell something happened. Now either you suck it up or everyone's gonna know," the feistier of the Rocca sisters retorted.

"Why should I care anymore whether or not people know?"

Vida fixed him with a devilish glare, "Don't you even think about it. Nick is our friend; we're not going to put him in that position."

Xander rolled his eyes but agreed nonetheless.

"Hey all," Casey greeted, popping up from nowhere.

"Hey Case," Xander said.

"Hola amigo," Vida returned.

"Anyone got plans after school? I was thinking dinner, movie, maybe a concert?"

Xander looked anxiously at Vida, "Sorry Case, Xander and I have plans with Maddi, Chip and Nick. Maybe tomorrow?"

Casey looked at Vida with a crestfallen expression, "Oh…okay."

"You okay?" Xander asked.

"Yeah, fine. I'll see you guys later," Casey said as he departed.

"See V, I could've just stayed with Casey and everything would've been a-okay. Who needs five people to check on a bloody egg?"

"You never know if we'll get attacked on the way. It's better to go as all five of us," Vida said as they began striding down the hall.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Turned out, the egg was fine. Xander, however, was not. When he got home that evening, he sat down and though hard. It was the first time in a while he'd been faced with a predicament like the one he was in.

With his mind made up, he pulled out a pen and some paper and began to write. What he was writing, he didn't think about, he just wrote what came from his heart, and before he gave himself a chance to reread it, he folded it up and stuffed them in his pants' pockets for tomorrow.

--XX—

Being turned into a tree gave Xander a valuable life lesson, but it didn't give him the confidence he wanted when he had to do something this troubling. Without thinking, without second guessing, he stuffed one letter into Nick's, and the other into Casey's.

His actions would make the day a whole lot more interesting.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nick's day was going from bad to worse. He had to walk to school because Jeremy was gone on a football fieldtrip, and on his way he was splashed with a wave of water from a car, no matter how stereotypical it seemed. Not only did the rain seep through his clothes, but it managed to get through the thin fabric of his backpack and all over his schoolwork and the term paper that was due three days later.

He trudged through the hallways looking like a drenched cat on the prowl. When he reached his locker, it took him three angry tries before it finally squeaked open. He ripped his backpack open and began to unload it when he saw it. A piece of folded up notebook paper. All four corners met perfectly, it wasn't wrinkled, and it looked almost as if it were glowing among the other things in his locker.

Cautiously, Nick opened the letter, but suddenly, he wished he hadn't.

_Dear Casey,_

_I hope you know how much you mean to me and that no matter how threatened you may feel by Nick, I'm completely over him. I don't really know if we'd even had a chance in the first place, but we tried it. I promise you, we won't get back together. He's with Jeremy now, and personally, I don't want anything Jeremy's touched…though Nick's a great guy, it just doesn't seem like we're made for each other._

Nick stopped. There was still another paragraph, but he couldn't bring himself to read it. Was Xander _trying _to start more trouble? Why would he put a letter meant for Casey in his locker?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Casey's day couldn't have gotten much better. He was finally able to drive to school in his new car, and he got a great parking spot. On his way to his locker, people he'd never talked to before suddenly spoke to him with familiarity. It was like he was becoming something even he didn't know he was. He'd even managed to get his projects all done ahead of time, _and _he had a significant amount of money in his wallet from his birthday. Yep, today was _definitely_ his day.

He seemed to float through the hallways with all the grace of a Prince of greatness. He felt as though his feet never even hit the ground. He wondered how his life had gotten so great in less than 3 months. As he opened his locker with great precision, Casey noticed a rather oddly folded note in his locker. It looked as though a fourth grader had folded it, and it seemed to spread dreariness through his otherwise glowing locker.

With curiosity, Casey opened the odd letter and read.

_To Nick,_

_I realize you hate me right now, and I'm sure you have every right to. I know I broke your trust but I didn't mean to hurt you. I jumped to conclusions and it seems as though that's my weakest point. I guess what I'm saying is that I need you as my friend. I miss being content around you. Jeremy's not what you need in someone, no matter what you might think. I'm sure he's been nothing but great to you, but you must admit that he's a little _too_ nice. I really like Casey and everything, so I'm staying with him. But I want you to know that if there's ever a time you want to give it a second try…it's always possible if Casey and I don't work. I'm willing to give that for you Nick. _

As if storm clouds had appeared over his head, Casey felt he was struck by lightning. How could something like that happen to him…on a perfect day? Why was it happening to him?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nick approached Xander before 1st block even started and he could see the nervous look on his face.

"Come here," Nick said roughly.

Xander followed quickly, much to the amusement of Chip, who remained clueless.

"What the hell was up with the letter? I _know _you like Casey, why'd you have to rub it in?"

"What?"

Nick took the letter out angrily and smashed it into Xander's chest.

Xander unfolded the paper and immediately knew what he'd done. He gave Nick Casey's letter and Casey Nick's—

"Oh no," Xander gasped. He'd given Casey Nick's letter…meaning that Casey would definitely be pissed.

"What?" Nick asked.

"I gave you the wrong letter."

"It said Casey…I just figured you meant to do that. Ya know, since 'Xander the Great' never makes a mistake."

Xander shook his head; he didn't have time for this.

"Look, I have to go find Casey…I'll be right back."

"I don't think you need to find him," Nick said, "He's right there."

Xander turned around, Casey standing only several feet away, holding the letter with disdain.

"Casey, I'm sorry," Xander began, "I—"

"Here," Casey said, flicking the note at Nick, "I think this was meant for you. And Xander…I really don't _care_ what happened…I think I understand completely what's going on here…"

With that, Casey took off across campus with some anger. Several people approached him on his way out, but Casey was adamant. When he reached his car Xander sighed. What had he created this time?

**Sorry it took so long. I started this chapter like Monday night, but my mom made me stop. Anyway, hope you liked it. There are a lot of things people probably won't catch here, I like to hide things, but indulge me and tell me your thesis, and I'd love to hear it! **

**------------>>Patrick**


	15. Pas Cette Fois

_Chapter 15—Pas Cette Fois_

Casey burst into his home. His thought process, unlike many when angry, was perfectly clear and functional. He knew what he wanted to do; the option had always been open for him. His brother in London would more than happily allow him to stay with him, as Derek had said "Whenever you want, you can just come stay here. I know you'll have to talk to dad, but I'm sure he'll be fine with it."

Casey didn't have time to talk to his dad about it. He'd made up his mind, and his father wouldn't stop him. He was tired of being humiliated and the one left out of the loop. No, it was time for Casey to take control of his own life, not some boy.

_What did I even see in him in the first place_? He wondered soberly.

"Casey, what are you doing home?" Max, Casey's dad, asked.

"I uh…I want to leave. It's really not you…but I just want to leave, I wanna go stay with Derek."

"All the way overseas!" his dad demanded in surprise.

"Dad…I just…I just hate it here in Briarwood. I have no friends, and…I'm just tired of it," Casey said, wiping some tears away with his wrist.

"Well what about Vida and Madison? Aren't they your friends?"

Casey gave a sneer, "No. That's what they'd like me to believe."

His dad took a deep breath, sat down on Casey's bed, and stared at the floor for a few moments.

"Son…you know I love you right?"

"Of course I do, dad. It's not your fault I'm leaving," Casey replied.

Max nodded, "But Case…there's a lot that has to be done if you're leaving for good. I'd have to un-enroll you, pass over custody to Derek, and there's just too much to go along with it."

Casey stopped packing. He knew his dad was right, he just didn't want to be in Briarwood anymore.

"Well…why don't you just come with me?"

"Casey, it's not that easy. We have a home here, I'd have to find a house in London, and what about my job?"

"You could get a transfer. They have Verizon Call Centers in London. And Derek said Derek said there's a jpise he's been trying to get, but it's out of his price range by about a thousand…I know you've got that…with mom's money and all…"

Max looked away at the mention of his deceased wife.

"You seem pretty dead set on this, huh kid?"

Casey only nodded.

"Well go for 2 weeks, see how it works…if I can't find a job, or get that apartment, we _have _to come back. Both of us."

Casey agreed through a hug, and his father left the room to make calls and get himself packed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh yeah, blame it on the Green Guy! It was _your _fault Nick! If you hadn't caused a big scene about it, and just discussed it like a normal human being—"

"_NORMAL? _Xander, we're _wizards_ for Christ's sake, and your talking about _Normal_? Let me get one thing straight here: _You _fucked up, _you _couldn't keep the letters straight, and somehow this is _my_ fault?"

"If you hadn't overreacted, Casey wouldn't have. I would've had time to go and talk to him."

"If he means so much to you, why don't you go chase after him?" Nick spat.

"Oh, that's real mature Nick, throw the guilt trip out there."

"What _guilt_ _trip_? I don't _want _you to feel guilty Xander, I want you to feel _responsible_.

"I _am_ responsible!"

"Coulda had me fooled."

"Well that's not hard to do."

"Not for you anyway."

"I never lied to you!"

"Yeah, you just accused me of doing it."

Xander gritted his teeth in frustration, "You are _so _immature!"

"That's not what you thought that night at the Rock Porium."

Xander's eyes widened a bit, "We didn't do _anything._"

"No, not really…but it was enough to fool me into thinking you actually liked me; that you actually trusted me."

"I did. But you broke that."

"Oh fuck you Xander. Ya know? Just, whatever, I don't even care anymore. I don't wanna hear your…bullshit stories, and your cheap ass lines. I'm completely done with you. Completely. _Fuck_. _You._"

"Ya know, I'm pretty sure Jeremy's already done that to you once or twice, right?"

That was it. Nick lunged at Xander, but Vida was ready, already holding the two back. Luckily, they hadn't been overheard by anyone but Maddi and herself. Chip was off doing something weird with a twig, pretending to be a knight.

"That's enough! Both of you!"

Xander shrugged her hand off, a grin on his face in accomplishment. He'd cracked Nick…but somehow…it didn't have the satisfaction he wanted.

Nick was next to free himself from Vida's grip.

"I'm outta here," he said lowly.

"No, you're not," Vida ordered, grabbing hold of his jacket.

But nick was in no mood to succumb to Vida's aggressiveness. He turned around, grabbing her arm firmly and staring her in the face.

"You're _not_ my mom."

Vida blinked, a twinge of fear blossoming in her.

His stare was ice cold, but as soon as he'd turned on her, he turned away, and was gone.

"Great. Great job Xander."

"What? Me? Didn't you see him provoking me?"

"Didn't you see him provoking me?" she mocked, "I oughta provoke my foot up your ass! You've not only let Casey go, but now you've pissed Nick off. I hope you look good in Red and Green spandex, because we're gonna need Nick."

**Back with a vengeance people. Love it, hate it, let me know.**


	16. Like You

_Chapter 16—Like You_

Jeremy looked at the ceiling of the cold gray room, thoughts rushing through his head. Finally, they registered into a complete thought. _I cannot let this happen._

"I can't do this," Jeremy said hurriedly.

"Why?"

"I…I have a boyfriend," he said firmly.

The girl stood up, raising an eyebrow, "A _boyfriend_?"

Jeremy nodded.

She gently pushed a piece of chestnut hair behind her ear. Without further warning, she laid a firm hand across Jeremy's face, "That was for even _thinking_ of doing that when you had someone at home. He deserves more."

Jeremy rubbed his cheek in shock, mouth slightly open.

"But…"

"Wait, I'm not finished. You _did_ stop it, and you were completely honest with me…so that deserves some credit…just…don't fuck up what you have with this guy, okay?" she asked.

Jeremy nodded.

Jasmine, the brunette girl he was with, straightened her rival school cheerleading uniform and left the cold gray locker room.

Jeremy was still in shock of what just happened.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Stupid Xander. Asshole. God…**what **could I have seen in him?_

Nick was thinking quickly, throwing clothes into his now empty backpack.

"Going somewhere?"

Nick's head snapped up.

"What do _you_ want?"

Xander sighed, walking over to Nick and taking a seat in an adjacent facing chair.

"I came to apologize."

Nick slowly stopped packing.

"For what?"

"For…everything. I really can't explain what's happened with all this…really, I can't. I just know that we need you here. I need you here."

Nick looked at Xander, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well…we need your help with Koragg and the others…and…well, you're a friend. So, you should stick around."

"Right…friend…"

"Well what did you think I meant?" Xander wondered further.

"Nothin', that's what I thought…just…"

"Nick…I thought we already cleared that up. In fact, _you_ were the one who wanted something else," Xander explained.

"I know…" Nick said, "And…well…I dunno."

"You're with Jeremy…and well…I was with Casey."

"Well then why are you here, when you could be talking to him."

"He's not home. I went there, and knocked, and knocked, and knocked some more. I called his phone and everything, but he's not there, and neither is his dad."

Nick pondered that a moment, "Maybe you should call his dad's work. I mean…if Casey and him are _both_ gone, wouldn't he have to notify them?"

Xander grew a big smile, "Yeah! Great idea!"

He withdrew his cell phone then stopped.

"I don't know his dad's number."

"Well do you know where his dad works?"

"No."

Nick thought, "Well…why not just go back to Casey's? Maybe they're back now?"

Xander nodded, and was about to take off when he stopped.

"Thanks…by the way."

"Yeah," Nick replied.

"You're staying, right?"

"Uh…well, I'm might just ride out and meet Jeremy at his game. I guess there's this big tournament they're trying to get in."

Xander had an urge to tell Nick to do otherwise, but he swallowed the urge and forced a smile "Yeah…okay. Well, see ya round."

With that he was gone.

Nick sighed a breath of relief and looked around the room, then grabbed a jacket before grabbing some dinner. When he finished, he would make his way to Jeremy. But as he ate…he had lots to think about. _Lots._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jeremy was getting dressed for their match, his teammates around him either wrestling or quiet like he was. He always got nervous before games, they'd never won anyway, but he still got nervous. Lucky for him, the tournament was for _all _the schools…even the losing ones.

"Hey Jer, you okay?" one of his teammates asked him.

This was one he knew fairly well, Chase Wentworth. He was a tall, sturdy linebacker on the team with brown hair and matching eyes. He was only half dressed.

"Uh…yeah," Jeremy replied quietly, snapping from his daze.

He'd almost let a girl go down on him. _Almost._ But he thought he was gay. _Gay._ Not bi. What did that mean? Did it really mean that he wasn't just attracted to one gender?

"You don't look so great…I mean…no offense," Chase added, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I uh…I always get nervous before games, even though we never win," He said lightly.

Chase looked at his blond friend with the spiky hair. He was openly gay, but it didn't stop him from doing what he loved. And although not everyone on the team was okay with it at first, they learned to accept it, or they quit…after a few beatings. See, despite what most people at the school thought, Jeremy had a really rough time coming out to the guys. He did get busted with Xander after all, but that didn't make it easier. Xander was younger then, not nearly as confident as he was nowadays, and Jeremy was much more insensitive. Both were Sophomores, but Jeremy was 'higher up' on the social hierarchy, which made it even easier for him to take what he wanted: Xander.

_It began around Christmas break of last year. They'd been assigned a project together to work on over the break. Unfortunately, it was a major Chemistry grade that neither of them could afford to fail. So each of them sucked it up and met at Jeremy's house everyday for the next week, gathering as much information and data as possible._

_When it was possible, they refrained from speaking to each other, it was the way they both liked it. Neither knew the other very well, but they knew they didn't like each other…social groups and all that jazz. But finally, one day, Jeremy snapped. He wanted Xander, and he wanted him bad. Even then, Xander was inexplicably attractive._

_He began to find ways to get closer to him, until finally, the two were almost inseparable. Where Jeremy was, Xander was, and that started Xander's rise to popularity…until that day in May._

_It was a stormy night, which should've given away the dangers that would soon ensue. _

_Foolishly, they'd decided to run off during a baseball game and use the Varsity Locker room. A.) Not the cleanest of places; and B.) Not the best idea. Interrupted in a steamy kissing session, Jeremy and Xander both panicked, but Jeremy was almost insane with fear. _

"_They're gonna tell…I'm gonna be so screwed! I'll have to switch schools, I'll have to quit football!"_

"_It's not that big a deal," Xander had tried to sooth._

"_Xander! I'm **gay**! That's a huge ass deal!" _

_Xander looked at the floor in shame. It was partly his fault they'd gotten caught. He was impatient, and didn't think that maybe, just maybe someone would come back to the locker rooms. _

"_I don't know if I can do this anymore…I…I can't! I just can't! There's no way…"_

"_Jeremy, it'll be fine, we can get through it," Xander replied, reaching for the blond boy's hand._

_Quickly, he jerked it away, "No! I…I don't **want** to be gay. I'm not gay. No…I just…I was experimenting!" he rushed._

_Even Xander could see the tension building up inside him. The nervousness eating away at his insides must've been less than half of what Jeremy was feeling._

"_Look…I'm sorry…I am…but I'm sure they won't care. And besides, who cares if they know?"_

"_I care!"_

"_Well if they're your friends, they should be fine with it, right?"_

"_Xander, do you know who we're talking about here? They'll **kill** me. They pick on people like us all the time, it's their main sport."_

_Xander was running out of ideas, but he didn't want to lose Jeremy. Not now._

"_So you mean…it's really over?"_

_Jeremy nodded, "I'm sorry…but I can't do this…"_

_And with that, he left the locker room, and Xander to go and face what would be torture over the summer._

"Who's ready for **game time?" **a loud mouthed, buff player asked as he entered from outside.

"You mean the time where we lose? I'm not," James retorted, who was a stocky tight end.

"Nah, not this time. We got this one on **lock**," the loud one, Brent, replied.

Jeremy only shook his head and stood, still only in his football bottoms and cleats.

"You sure you're okay man?" Chase asked.

Jeremy nodded. He still didn't feel right around Chase. After all, it had been him and Brent that caught Jeremy and Xander.

**And there's the little history between Xander and Jeremy. I know Xander isn't in character for that little flashback, but I wanted to make him seem a little less confident and secure back then. No one's really _that _secure in High School. At least not Sophomore year. I love your reviews! Keep them flooding in!**

**------------------------ Patrick**


	17. All You Wanted

_Chapter 17—All You Wanted_

Casey slowly began to pack his last bag. Earlier events still seemed a little surreal to him, even as he was packing. There was a real chance that he wouldn't be coming back here, and the next time he would even see this bed might be in a London apartment. The next time he dreamt on this pillow might just be about a new school, new friends, a new love. It was almost too much for him to take. It felt like he was packing away his life for a new translation.

His clothes for the stay were already in his suitcase, and now he was just getting his backpack ready to go. He had packed the usual stuff; snacks, music, and a few good magazines. His father would be flying over in a few days because of work, but Casey couldn't wait. His dad was fine with him leaving early, well as fine as he could be given he forced permission. Casey was strong willed, Max admired that. He was just like his mother that way.

The blonde teen circled around his bed and sifted through gift bags from his birthday just days before, looking for his passport. He knew it was on his desk somewhere. Reaching under a sparkly blue bag he accidentally knocked some others over onto the hard wood flooring. Casey slumped down to pick up the contents of a yellow gift box and found himself holding a small necklace. He took in a short breath, feeling the pain that had come with the people inside the locket.

**_Two days ago…_**

_"Promise not to hate me for this," Xander whispered._

"_How could I hate you?" Casey asked, genuinely confused._

"_Well…I kinda had to steal from you to get you this present…" Xander replied_

_as he pulled something from his jacket pocket._

_Casey slowly opened the felt case that Xander handed him. What his eyes settled on caused his breathing to go short._

_"I-I'd been looking for this. I thought I'd lost it," Casey managed to choke out._

_"Vida told me it was a gift your mom gave you for your 6th birthday…the year…well…yeah," Xander trailed off._

_"Although I hate you for almost giving me a heart attack, I'm…overwhelmed. You even got it furnished!" Casey gaped._

_"Open the locket," Xander pushed._

_Casey unclipped the locket's casing, molded out of a pentagonal shape._

_On the inner left side was a picture of Casey and his mother that Xander had to shrink to fit in. On the right side was a picture of Casey and Xander the night before at Casey's early birthday party._

_"How did you…" Casey began._

_"Maddi's a good girl, but she knew your dad kept a spare key under the mat…so I skipped 3rd one day, came and got the picture, and managed to slip the locket off you when you passed out at my house last week," Xander explained._

_"You are one sneaky bastard!" Casey laughed, then looked back at the locket, then back at Xander, "But I love you."_

The words echoed in his mind as Casey stood up and put the locket around his neck. He wasn't sure if he could take Xander's picture out just yet. He moved back over to his bed and grabbed a few more things, stuffing them into the back relentlessly. Just as he had thought he had everything in the bag, there was more he felt he needed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Although not exactly in their favor, the game went astoundingly well. They only lost by a field goal, which was better than they'd ever done.

"Who's up for drinks on me?" Brent shouted rambunctiously.

A bunch of "hoorahs!" went up in the air, but Jeremy was not one to elicit it.

"What's wrong Jer? You don't wanna go?" Chase asked as most of the

teammates began to horse around.

"Ah…nah, I got something to do back at home. I might catch up with you guys later," he explained.

"Alright, suit yourself," Brent interjected as he grabbed chase by the shoulder, pulling him into the wrestling match that ensued behind the row of lockers.

Looking at the ground, Jeremy knew he had a choice to make. Instead of undressing in the locker room, he left, padded and all, and took off in his truck.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nick finished rinsing off his dinner plate, grabbed his jacket, and was about to open the door when the doorbell rang.

"Xander, I swear, if you didn't—" he stopped when his eyes settled on someone that was _not _Xander.

"Well, well…" the figure sighed.

"Brice…what do you want?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Xander pounded, and pounded, and pounded on the door but no one answered.

"Casey, are you there?" he shouted for probably the tenth time.

"Excuse me?" an elder woman asked, peaking from her front door.

"Yeah?"

"Um…if you're looking for Casey, he just went to the airport. He and his father are going to London. Sad really, Casey was such a nice kid," she said.

Xander's mouth hung open in shock. He couldn't even reply, he just nodded and dazedly walked off.

"Xander, what are you doing here?" Vida asked as she opened her door.

"V, I need your help! I fucked up bad! You gotta get me to the airport,

please!"

"Wait, wait. I think I thoroughly enjoy the confession part. Repeat that and

then explain what this whole Airport thing is about."

"I'm a screw up V. Everything has gone horribly wrong!"

Now Vida was worried. Xander never admitted to being a screw up.

"What's wrong?'

"It's Casey. He's going to London!"

"Yeah, I know…he came by earlier to say goodbye."

Xander looked down at her, "Wait…you knew about this?"

"Uh, yeah, he's like my best friend."

"And you didn't bother to tell me?" Xander accused.

"Look…I don't really think Casey wanted you to know."

"No, you look, Vida. He can't go. I haven't apologized yet!"

"Fine Xander…I'll take you, but I'm not sure what your apology can do."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nick knew it was a bad idea to just accept Brice's apology and go on a walk

to 'catch up.' He _knew _it was a bad idea. And now because of it, Brice had wound up in the hospital.

"You did the right thing son," the officer said to Jeremy, who sat in a chair at the police station.

"You really did…thanks," Nick added.

Jeremy shrugged and twisted his sprained wrist just a little.

"No…it's more than a shrug, you probably saved my life. If you hadn't come when you did, I don't know what would have happened…"

Jeremy said, "The fucker deserved it. Stay _away _from that guy, Nick, all he does is cause trouble."

"Yeah…I know."

"Promise?'

"Promise," Nick said, unable to hide the smile that crept up at Jeremy's protectiveness.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Why don't we go and get you some actual clothes?" Nick suggested.

Jeremy nodded and walked up to the officer to ask if it was okay to leave. He really didn't want any more trouble that night, but if he just strolled out of the station, there could be trouble.

Luckily, he got out fine. Brice was probably gonna spend sometime with the big boys in jail for attempted murder…or something close to it, Jeremy's thought process was all whacked and he could only hear half of what the officer was saying.

"Ready to go?" Nick asked.

"Uh, yeah."

"Want me to drive?" Nick asked, eyeing Jeremy's wrist.

"Please."

Xander's lungs expanded and shrunk rapidly, never getting the proper

amount of air. His head spun in every direction, trying to find Casey.

"Excuse me," he tried to ask several people, but they all shrugged him off.

Bewildered, he took off in another direction, hopefully for a service desk without such a long line.

Finally, he saw a security guard.

"'scuse me, can you tell me where the international flights are?"

"Terminal C…are you trying to board."

"Uh…something like that. I have to find my brother before he leaves. He has my car keys," Xander lied.

The guard nodded, buying the lie.

"If you head through there, we have a separate security line for those not boarding."

"Thank you _so much_!" Xander thanked the elderly guard.

He nodded and went back to swaying forward and back, intent on helping people and stopping idiots.

Xander rushed through, finding the security area and heading through the 'bagless' line.

In moments he was walking under the metal detector, which beeped loudly once he walked through.

"Shoes," she woman snapped as she popped her gum.

Xander took his shoes off with a sigh, making sure his pockets were empty.

He walked through again, only to have the beeper ring.

"You got a belt?" she asked.

"No."

"Cell phone?"

Xander's eyes widened. His morpher.

He quickly took out and threw it in the smaller bin for phones and such.

He walked through again and recollected his things, taking off in a sprint yet again.

He looked around the lettered Terminals and easily found C. There was a metro waiting to take him out to the actual terminal.

He rolled his eyes and ran towards it just as its doors shut.

"NO!"

People around the airport looked at him oddly, but he didn't have time for this.

He pulled out his wand and silently opened one of the doors, hopping in.

"How did you _do _that?" a little girl asked.

"Magic," Xander smiled sarcastically.

The girl's mother laughed a shrill laugh that made Xander wanted to stuff a sock in her mouth. Thankfully, the metro stopped seconds later.

Again, Xander broke into a run, up the escalator, down a hall, through people, and finally caught sight of Casey, who was three people away from being let on.

"Casey!" he hollered.

Several people looked back, but not Casey.

"Casey!" he shouted again.

This time Casey turned, frowning.

"Casey, wait!"

Xander panted, catching up to him.

"Hey!" Several people protested as he cut through the line.

"Casey…you can't leave…I'm sorry…I'm really sorry…please don't get on the plane."

"Are you serious?" Casey asked in annoyance. "Xander. You're not getting it. I don't want an apology. It's time to move on, both of us," Casey whispered harshly, "And, I've already paid for the ticket. I'm not wasting $900.00 dollars just so we can try to fix something that wasn't broken. Just leave it alone."

With that, he handed his boarding pass to the woman, turned to Xander and said, "Goodbye Alexander."

With that, he was gone.


	18. Broken Forever

_Chapter 18—Broken Forever_

Nick's life had been anything _but_ simple since reuniting with his "family." First there was the whole issue with Udonna, which he could come to grasps with. The Koragg/Lienbow would take some getting used to, but his main problem was that he would have to open up to a whole new family…_come out_ to a whole new family. Jeremy had been nothing but supportive of him finding his 'family,' though he knew not the type of family Nick had. He didn't know his parents were the most powerful sorceresses and warriors to exist. He just wanted Nick to be happy.

But it wasn't that simple. Every since he was a child, nothing was ever that simple. Satisfaction. He lacked satisfaction. He wasn't satisfied with his current familial situation, nor was he satisfied with Jeremy's blind support. He was satisfied with Jeremy. But…something in him longed for something or some_one_ else. Someone more confrontational and someone who wouldn't let them walk over them. He wanted Xander.

And Xander…well…Xander didn't know _what_ he wanted. A part of him hated Casey for over reacting, a part of him longed to still be with him, another part was saying he needed to go straight…and the smallest part…the smallest part was whispering _"you want Nick."_

He contemplated it, drawn out long equations in his head of how to split him and Jeremy up. He'd even teased himself with the idea of getting Nick to cheat on Jeremy. He felt foul, but he felt…liberated? Yeah, liberated…that was it. He was free to fantasize and just be single again. He'd forgotten what that feeling felt like. He'd forgotten what it felt like to be drama-less and carefree. It had been _far_ too long.

So as he began to ponder taking Nick from Jeremy, he was startled by the loud bang of a locker and an angry, loud voice.

"JUST BACK OFF!"

Xander peered around the corner to see Nick walking off, looking lethal like his dad. Must've been a dominant gene…

When he looked at the aftermath, he couldn't believe his eyes. Jeremy was just as furious, not believing he'd let his esteem drop so low. He had never realize how 'whipped' he'd been until that very moment. That miniscule second in time where he saw Nick snap at him; that flash of anger he felt when Nick owned him yet again. He was tired of it. He wasn't a boytoy, and he was tired of being treated like one.

"HEY!" Jeremy yelled back.

Nick spun around, his greenish-gray eyes bare of sympathy.

"You know what? I don't need your _bullshit_. I don't need _this_. I'm not your personal property that you can just throw around," Jeremy said as he closed the distance between himself and his boyfriend.

"So what's your point?" Nick asked, no care detectable in his voice.

"My _point_ is that I'm not gonna take it any longer."

Attention began to point towards them as stragglers on their way to class stopped to watch the 'boy couple' argue. Some had been waiting for this.

"I'm not **making **you stay with me, Jeremy. If you wanna go, go!"

"That's it?" he demanded. Suddenly his bravado had shrunken once more and he felt stripped and immature.

"To be honest with you…this relationship isn't fair, and it isn't working. You're too…too…_nice_. You let _everything_ go, when sometimes I just want you to man up. I want you to tell me "no" or to act like you have a spine."

Jeremy furrowed his eyebrow. He really didn't get it. Then it clicked; "Nice guys finish last."

Xander watch apprehensively. They were on the _verge _of breakup. He only needed the words…the right words.

"Then I will be," Jeremy answered.

_No! _Xander growled mentally. Nick was going to accept the truce and they would move on as a couple.

"Alright then," Nick said calmly as he turned around to leave, "See you later."

Jeremy watched him walk off and felt the eyes divert from him. Sometimes, he hated attention…

"You had your chance," Vida said in Xander's ear, causing him to jump up with fright.

"Vida! Don't do that!" he reprimanded as he straightened himself. He'd wasted 3 minutes watching the pointless argument go on and would most likely be late to his next period class. Then Vida's words registered as she raised an eyebrow.

"I know. I was just…" he stopped himself. He couldn't find the words to describe what he was.

"I have a feeling that my drama-free break just ended," she grumbled as she brushed past him on her way to class.

Xander sighed as he headed the opposite direction towards his class.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Nick woke up in a cold sweat. The dream had happened again. It was always so incredibly blurry, yet so distinctly real. But every time he tried to remember, it would slip away, piece by piece.

"Damn…" he muttered as he wiped his forehead and looked at the clock.

03:33 AM. The same time _ever_ morning/night.

"I should ask Udonna about this…" he muttered.

"What are you talking about?" came a groggy voice.

He'd completely forgotten about Jeremy laying right next to him. As he looked at the room, he noticed he had _not_ been in his own room at all.

"Crazy dream…" he replied.

"You've been waking up at this time _every_ morning. Something wrong?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"You don't seem like it."

"I said I'm fine."

"And I said you don't seem like it."

"Is this your way of standing up to me?"

"A little bit goes a long way," Jeremy laughed.

Nick rolled his eyes, getting comfortable again. Whatever the dream had been, it had completely left his mind and he was able to return to a state of peace. For a night.

Xander lifted his head from the desk again, his eyes falling closed once more. He couldn't bare to stay awake. Physics just seemed to bore him to no end. He didn't get it, and could care less.

"And remember to study formulas, because we're having our finals in 2 weeks," the teacher yelled over the noise of the bell.

Xander hurriedly pushed his seat in as he was ready to leave the class.  
"Xander, can I speak to you for a moment?" Mr. Monroe asked.

"What's up?"

"Son, you're grades are horrible. It's just been a steady decline. This final is the _only_ thing that can save you," he said.

Xander frowned, looking away. He hated being told he was failing.

"What can I do?"

"I'd suggest finding a study buddy," he answered as he sat down, rummaging through his desk.

"Like who?"

"Um," he started as he pulled something out with great effort, "Try…this guy; he's in my next class. Nick Russell. Brilliant guy when it comes to physics."

Xander's shoulders slumped. Of all people…Nick?

"Well thanks for the compliment," Nick said as he entered the room, glancing around.

"Ah there you are Nick. Xander here's been having some trouble with my class. Think you can work your charm?"

"I don't think that'd be a problem," Xander mumbled.

"I'm sorry?" Mr. Monroe asked, not catching Xander's words.

"Nothing," he muttered.

"Uhm…yeah, I think I could try to help him," Nick answered.

"Great, then it's a date," Mr. Monroe clapped, not realizing the weight of the words he'd used.


	19. Broken for Better

_Chapter 19—Broken For Better_

"So you see, displacement is like distance, except it can be negative," Nick explained again.

The class had gone over displacement at the very beginning of the year. How Xander didn't understand it was beyond him.

"I think I understand it now…but then we've still got _all_ this to do," Xander replied, lifting masses of pages from the book and letting them flutter back down.

"Let's take a break, okay?" Nick asked comfortably. He'd never been inside Xander's house before, but something about it made him feel comfortable.

"Sounds good. Want something?" questioned Xander, standing to get some refreshments.

"Uh…just some water?"

"Sure?"

"Yeah, that's all."

Xander shrugged and carried on to the kitchen to receive the drinks. It had been far less awkward than he expected. Given it was necessarily the best situation, it was much better than he thought it would be.

Nick tilted back in his chair. Xander had been cool about everything, but Nick kept getting flashes of that dream that kept awakening him. He didn't know what it meant, but it was bothering him immensely.

"_Normally when a person has recurring dreams, they tend to be prophetic. Don't deny them."_

Daggeron's voice disappeared as it was drown out by Xander's.

"One water."

Nick grinned, "Thanks."

"Okay, so, haven't really gotten to _talk_ to you lately."

"We talk all the time," Nick feigned.

"Small talk."

"It's still talk."

"Nick, that's not my point. I feel like I don't know anything about you again. To me, you're a new kid again."

Nick frowned, "Sorry I can't please everyone."

"That's not what I meant."

"Funny how that works."

"Nick, wait a minute."

Nick's eyes darted back to Xander. Frustration radiated from them in a cold manner.

"I feel like we never really got any closure, Nick. And that hurts…a lot."

"It hurts?" Nick asked skeptically, "How do you think I felt when I told you I couldn't deal, and two seconds later you're all over Casey? How much do you think that hurt?"

"Okay Nick, that was accidental. I don't really know what happened. I don't at all. But what did you want me to do? Casey was there when you weren't. I don't just trust everyone, and I gave you my trust after one day. One. It hurt to not know why we couldn't have a chance, and then Jeremy was your first choice; how do you think _I _felt?"

"So we're both hurt. We can apologize over and over, but it's not going to make anything better. And are we forgetting how you and the others accused me of stealing from Toby?"

"No, we're not forgetting, but I don't think it's fair that you forgive the others, but not me."

"I have forgiven you, but I'm not ready to try and be with you," Nick argued back.

He couldn't believe the words that came from his mouth.

_Be with you_.

"Why?" Xander asked, his voice dropping a bit.

"Because I'm with Jeremy," Nick answered.

"Yeah…I guess I kind of forgot about that," Xander whispered.

The moment captured them, binding them in its steel, welcoming hands and pushing them together. Their lips met, a fury of passion ripping through their bodies and surging into the other. Thoughts unregistered flittered through and settled in the subconscious brain, while emotions took over.

Off the chairs, standing, moving to the couch…slowly…laying down.

"Wait."

Xander, despite his emotions, stopped as Nick requested.

"I don't know if I can do this…"Nick said, attempting to catch his breath.

"Yeah…I understand," Xander said.

Nick looked around sheepishly. He just remembered he'd never gone anywhere near that far with Xander, only with Jeremy; but it felt so right.

Xander straightened himself and refitted his clothes. He noted how his jeans had seemed to shrink in all the action.

In an instant, Nick had pounced on Xander again. The tension had disappeared, replaced with desire and sexual motivation. Nick never noticed how much better it felt with Xander than it ever had with Jeremy…

--19--

"Jeremy, would you come take out the trash?" his mom shrieked up the stairs.

But Jeremy was preoccupied. He was nervous having Nick over at Xander's house…alone. He just _knew_ their connection had not dissipated quite yet. Jealous? Yeah, he was jealous. He got the satisfaction of knowing _he_ earned Nick's virginity, but he was afraid that now he'd opened up Nick's sexual energy, he'd never be able to tame it. He was _barely_ able to satisfy Nick, and was barely able to keep up with him. It was…strange to say the least.

"Jeremy!" his fathers voice boomed.

He rolled his eyes, then came down stairs to obey their command.

"Hey Jer, what's up man?" came Chase's voice from across the street.

Jeremy spun around to meet his friend, "Hey dude, how's it goin?"

His voice seemed a little nervous.

"Straight, you're acting weird, though, you okay?"

"Ah…so-so."

"You worried about Nick."

"No."

"Hah, cuz that's not obvious."

"How do you know about that anyway?" Jeremy pondered aloud.

"Everyone knows. The gossip wheel never fails."

"You're a part of the gossip wheel?"

"No! I have my sources, man" Chase laughed.

"Oh…okay."

"Well, why not just go check on him? I mean, they've been gone for what, like 3 hours now? Might as well go ask if they wanna go get something to eat."

"Invite Xander?"

"Well, maybe not Xander, but you know what I mean."

"Yeah…I guess I will. I'll see ya later dude," Jeremy departed.

Chase waved himself off as he returned to his house next door.

Jeremy jumped in his truck, speeding off to Xanders.

--19--

Flurries of clothes filled the living room that only moments ago was being filled with talk of displacement.

Off went Xander's greenish shirt, into the pile that contained both of Nick's shirts.

The sound of the zipper belonging to Xander pants brought realization to Nick…but the realization wasn't _nearly_ as strong as part of his solid anatomy.

"Hey guys," a voice came from the front room.

And that voice made Nick's blood run cold.


	20. Broken Epicenter

_Chapter 20—Broken Epicenter_

It's truly amazing how fast the human body can react to fear. It's even more amazing how quickly things can fall apart.

"I was thinking we could get some pizza!" the cheery voice continued as footsteps echoed.

"Hurry up!" Nick whispered harshly, barely pulling his shirt over his head.

Xander was buttoning his pants when the intruder entered.

"Hey Chip," Xander greeted awkwardly.

"Hey! How's physics coming for you? Even more brutal than Alchemy, huh?!" Chip enthused.

Nick's eyes darted uncomfortably.

"Nah…Nick's been a pretty good tutor."

Was that a double entendre?

"I wouldn't have pinned you as a physics wiz, Nick."

"Funny how that works, huh?" Nick replied, smiling falsely.

"Anyway, pizza?" Chip quirked.

"Uhm…no thanks, why don't you go ask Vida? I'm sure she'd love to. Nick and I still have a lot to go over," Xander replied calmly.

"Alright! Well, don't kill yourself with this physics stuff. Good thing you're not the Quantum ranger!" Chip laughed.

"What?" Xander asked, genuinely confused.

"Get it? Quantum Physics?" Chip asked as he headed for the door.

"Oh…ha ha," Nick and Xander laughed wryly.

But Chip was gone.

"Okay…so that was close…" Nick breathed out slowly.

"Yeah…it was…sorry."

"You don't have to be," Nick replied with a smile.

"Where'd we leave off?" Xander asked with a smirk.

"We were about to go to dinner," came a stern voice.

Nick spun around to see Jeremy standing in the entryway of the living room. He looked more than suspicious.

"Hey!" Nick smiled, trying his best to act normal upon seeing Jeremy.

"What's going on…?" Jeremy asked, his voice somewhat suspicious.

"Nothing."

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Pretty much," answered Nick.

Xander shrugged, "I guess I should be going."

"You might want to zip your zipper," Jeremy mentioned.

Xander stopped in his tracks.

"Come again?"

"Your zipper. It's undone. Wonder how that happened."

Jeremy's voice was faltering between calm and angry, and it didn't sound like something that was getting better with time.

"My mistake," Xander tried to cover.

"No, it was mine."

Nick didn't speak, his silence spoke volumes.

"Xander…can we have a minute?" he finally whispered.

Xander understood perfectly. He knew how this would unfold. Nick would explain how it was a stupid, senseless romp that meant nothing. Jeremy would then forgive him and they would go and have maddening make up sex. But not in his house. Hell no.

"Yeah…sure," he replied slowly, a hint of anger showing in his voice.

Without another word, Xander ascended the stairs to his bedroom above where he could hopefully hear the conversation below.

Jeremy sucked in a deep breath.

"I'm not even sure where to begin…"

"What are you talking about? You don't even know what was going on," Nick replied quickly. A little too quickly.

"Then why are you getting so defensive?"

"Because I already know what you're assuming."

"Don't lie to me, Nick. I'm not 13. I know what was going on. I've been there and done him."

Nick flinched. He hated the way Jeremy talked about Xander like he was nothing more than an object used for pleasure.

"So I've heard," Nick added bitterly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Look…I don't think I can do this. This is just…it's not the same anymore, Jeremy. It's not. You're always down my throat about where I go and who I'm with, and I'm tired of it. I'm 17, not 7."

"Nick, I just care about you and—"

"No, Jeremy, you care about _owning _me. You're too…possessive."

"Possessive?" Jeremy asked incredulously.

"Yes, possessive. I mean, the way you talk about Xander like he was just some item that you passed along. Is that the way you're gonna talk about me when we're over?"

"No, Nick, I—"

"Jeremy…I really think it's best if we just leave this alone. For good."

And then the silence sunk in. And in sunk in hard. In fact, it seeped and crawled until it had rotted into the very recesses of Jeremy's mind before he realized what had happened. And then he smiled.

"You're right."

"I am?"

"Yeah. This is just too restricted, and what we had was great, but I think it's time to move on too."

Nick was speechless. It went better than he…hadn't planned?

"Nice doin business with ya Nick," Jeremy said, stretching out a hand.

Nick observed the hand he'd held so many times before. And now it didn't seem right to touch it. Sure, it wasn't vile, it wasn't going to electrocute him…but…it felt strange to touch Jeremy's hand after they had separated.

"Likewise," he replied after a few pensive moments.

And their hands connected in a firm shake, sharing one last electric touch before Jeremy stood and left. Just like that, the drama was over. All the angst that had built up with Xander, all the trials with Casey, and all the history with Jeremy; it was all resolved. Well, almost. There was still Xander. And what Xander wanted was always something complicated to Nick.

_Why can't he just be simple?_

But the answer itself was simple. Because Xander was a complex person, and when he wanted something bad enough, he would do any and every thing to get it.

_Maybe we can try this one more time…?_


End file.
